LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

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UNITED STATES OF AMEEICA. 



COPYRIGHTED FEB. 15, 1890, BY W. 
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 



THIRTEEN YEARS 



TRAVEL AND EXPLORATION 



j^l_a.sk:^ 



VV. H. PIERCE, 



KDITKD BY 



PROF, and MRS. J. H. CARRUTH, 



Lawrence, Kansas. 




Lawrexce, Kansas 

JOUKNAf. PrRLlSHINr, CoMPAW 

iSoo. 



f*^ 



W' 



orJ 



S 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

A Trip to the Cassiar Gold Mines— Half-breeds 
and Indians— Their Way of Living— Good 
Gold Diggings— Fort Wraugel. 

CHAPTER II. 

-A Trip to Shuck Inlet— Cake Indians— Treach- 
ery — A Narrow Escape. 

CHAPTER III. 

On Prince of Wales Island— The Ilyder Indians- 
Friendly— Three Months Alone With Them— 
A Swim for Life. 

CHAPTER IV. 

•Going up the Stickeen River in Winter -Falling 
Through the Ice — A Harrow Escape from 
Drowning or Freezing. 

CHAPTER y. 

•On Sitka or Barnoff Island— The People— The 
Schools— The Missionaries. 

CHAPTER VI. 

Employed by the Alaska Gold Mining Company 
—Building a Mill— Very Cold Weather— A 
New Discovery. 



IV. CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER yil. 

Jimeau Gold Mines Discovered —The Auk 
Indians. 

CHAPTER yill. 

The Famous Treadwell Gold Mine Discovered- 
Difficulty with Indians— White Men Murd- 
ered — Indian Murderers Tried and Hung by 
Citizens. 

CHAPTER IX. 

The Russian Fur Company— AVhiskey Among 
the Indians — Indian Parties — Getting an 
Honorary Title. 

CHAPTER X. 

Admiralty Island— A Snow-slide— A Hun for 
Life. 

CHAPTER XI, 

The Wealth of Alaska— Its (iold Mines— Fish- 
eries and Timber. 

CHAPTER XII. 

Bernes' Bayon — New (Jold Discoveries — A 
Novel Sight— A Fight Between Two Huge 
Cinnamon Bears. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Japanese Ocean Current— The Muir Glacier- 
Immense Bodies of Ice Falling into the Sea. 



CONTENTS. V. 

CHAPTER Xiy. 

Mines and Mining — Swindling Operations — 
Cheap Living in Alaska. 

CHAPTER XV. 

A Journey into the Interior— Daj'a Inlet— Saucy 
Indians— Climbing a Mountain — A Great 
Field of Snow— Thieving Indians. 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Pleasant Traveling — Gold Found — A Great 
Canyon— Coal Found. 

CHAPTER XVII. 

Bones of the Mammoth and Mastadon Found 
—Drifting on the Yukon River- -('hristian 
Indians— Falling Banks— Narrow Escapes. 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

The Days Twenty-four Hours Long— Making 
Music for a Bear— Exploring a Mountain— A 
Fight with Cinnamon Bears. 

CHAPTER XIX. 

<Jommencing the Journey Down the Yukon — 
Provisions Destroyed by Fire— The Game 
Scared Away —Slow Starvation— Lynx Killed 
- Very Hard Work to Travel— A Desperate 
Effort— A New Thought Our Salvation— A 
Three Hundred Dollar Meal— Three Comrades 
Leave the Company— Two Lynx Shot and we 
Were Saved. 



VI. CONTENTS 



CHAPTER XX. 



No Tidings of Lost Comrades— Efforts to Assist 
Them. 

CHAI'TER XXI. 

The Miners— Different Kinds of Them. 

CHAPTER XXII. 

A Winter at Juneau City— AVork for the Alaska 
Gold Mining Company— Preparations for a 
Trip to the Interior of Alaska— A Long Jour- 
ney and Slow Traveling— Some Gold Found. 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

Prospecting for (iold— View from the Mountain 
—An Exciting Adventure with Hogs and 
Indians— Saved by a Riissian Trader. 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

Ascent of Forty Mile River — Rapids Cause an 
Accident and Loss of Goods— Mosquitoes very 
Abundant and Friendly— Gold Along this 
River— Mammoth Bones in Abundance — Gold 
Quartz. 

CHAPTER XXV. 

A Tribe of Cannibals— Terrible Creatures— Two 
Comrades Murdered and Eaten— A Battle and 
a Great Victory. 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

Traveling Under Great Disadvantages— Food 
Scarce— A Sad Accident— A Comrade Drowned. 



CONTENTS. VII. 

CHAPTER XXVIL 

Building Houses— Other Preparations for Winter 
in a very Cold Climate— Quicksilver Frozen- 
Hunting by the Light of Aurora Borealis— 
The Scurvy— Twelve Sick— Five Died— Wil- 
low Bark Tea. 

CHAPTER XXVIIL 

A Trip up Forty Mile River— Gold Bars on It- 
Extra Good Diggings. 

CHAPTER XXIX. 

Another Trip on the Yukon— Some Gold Dis- 
coveries—Some Indians Along this River— 
Their Way of Living— Boat Building. 

CHAPTER XXX. 

An Ocean Journey in a Boat— A Storm at Sea— 
The Boat Wrecked— Landed on a Strange 
Island. 

CHAPTER XXXI. 

Description of the Island— No Fire— Great Suf- 
fering—Indians Come— Trip to St. Michaels— 
The Trading Post— The People There— Depart- 
ure for Sitka— Li ving on the Coast— Reflections 
on God's Care of Us— Miners Names— Quaker 
Missionaries. 

CHAPTER XXXII. 

Some Clippings from Late Alaska Papers. 




INDIAN TOTEM POLES. 



INTRODUCTION. 



It is the intention of the writer of this 
book to put before the reader the knowl- 
edge he has gained of the Territory of 
Alaska, both of the coast and interior, its 
gold and silver mines, its fisheries; in 
fact, to give a truthful and reliable 
account of all its valuable resources and 
geological and botanical curiosities. A 
true and reliable knowledge of these 
things has been obtained in thirteen years 
of travel and exploration in this little 
known Territory. 

This Territory is larger than that of the 
thirteen original States of the Union, 
while its ccast line, including bays and 
islands, is more than 25,000 miles; but it 
is less known in its interior than Australia 
or Africa. 

It is a country rich in the precious 
metals, furs, fisheries, and other valuable 
products. 

Some accounts have been published 
prior to this, generally describing the 



lO INTRODUCTION. 

coast, and what could be seen of this 
strange land from the deck of a steamship. 
These accounts have been mingled 
with fiction and conclusions drawn from 
hasty observations. They have not been 
of a character to truthfully enlighten the 
reader, as they generally treat of the 
coast and its scenery. Little or nothing 
has been said by those writers regarding 
the more interesting and great unknown 
^interior — its great rivers, forests, and 
boundless uninhabited wastes and soli- 
tudes. Much will be found in this book 
that wnll benefit those who contemplate a 
journey to that distant land, whether it be 
for profit or pleasure. 

My first journey was to northern 
British Columbia; my second was along 
the coast of Alaska; my third and fourth 
were in the interior of Alaska. 




CHAPTER I. 

On the first day of May, 1877, a party 
of five young men, myself included, left 
the mining town of Nainimo, British 
Columbia, our destination being the then 
famous Cassiar gold fields in the northern 
British possessions on the head waters of 
the Mackenzie River, which flows north- 
ward and empties into the Arctic Ocean. 
Being young and hopeful, and in the best 
of spirits, some of the more sanguine 
almost considered their fortunes made 
when the journey began. Little did they 
know of the years of hardship which some 
of the little band would endure, this being 
the experience of all prospectors and 
frontier adventurers. 

The voyage by the steamship Grappler 
from Nainimo, British Columbia, to Fort 
Wrangel, Alaska, required six days. We 
called at Fort Simpson, and old Hudson's 
Bay trading post. 

The passengers were a motley crowd 
— miners, Indians and half-breeds, with 
quite a number of squawks, the wives of 



12 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

the natives on board. Also some of them 
were the wives of a class of white men 
who, having almost lost their taste for 
civilized life, had taken native women for 
wives.^ They were trying a mode of life 
that could hardly be called civilized, yet it 
was not wholly uncivilized. 

Every spring these men would go to 
the Cassiar mines, taking their dusky 
mates with them, and it was no uncom- 
mon sight to see them assisting their lords 
and masters in working their claims. But 
the majority of them were not so inclined. 
On the contrary, they appeared to be 
rather expensive in their habits, and I 
have seen them sitting by their smoky, 
dusty camp-fires dressed in silk. This 
was rather unbecoming for people who, 
instead of being raised in luxury, had 
been raised on dried fish, fresh fish, and all 
kinds of hsh — and lived in bark houses 
with an open, smok}' fire-place in the 
center. 

There was a good deal of talk on board 
the steamer about a quantity of gold that 
had been taken from a place on Queen 
Charlotte's Island a great many years ago 
by the Hudson's Bay Company. The 



THRITEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 1 3 

sum, my informant stated, amounted to 
near $100,000. 

According to the story, the natives had 
discovered the gold on the face of a per- 
pendicular cliff which rose from the salt 
water, and not know^ing what the metal 
was had taken it to the Hudson's Bay 
Company's employes. They understood 
its value, and induced the natives to show 
them the place where they got it. 

As stated above, they succeeded in 
getting about one hundred thousand dol- 
lars. When the vein dipped under the 
sea water, they built a coffer dam, but 
had to give it up, as they could not keep 
the water out. I afterwards inquired of 
an old Hudson's Bay superintendent 
about this gold deposit. He told me it 
was true, and that other parties had 
afterwards tried to work the lode, but did 
not succeed in finding gold enough to 
pay expenses. 

On the sixth day of our voyage we 
reached Fort Wrangel, the winter quar- 
ters of the miners, or the major portion 
of those who work in the Cassiar, or 
Stickeen River diggings. Here we dis- 
embarked. We found it a dirty place. 



14 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

The streets, if they could be called streets, 
were extremely muddy and crowded with 
dirty natives and miners, waiting for the 
ice in the Stickeen River to break up. 
Then the stream would become navigable 
for the little steamer that every spring 
carried the miners and the freight to the 
head of navigation about one hundred and 
sixty miles up the river from its mouth. 

The river having opened we procured 
our supplies and got aboard. The boat 
was crowded to such an extent that there 
was little more than standing room. 
When night came on, the boat was tied to 
a large cotton wood tree, and all hands 
went ashore to find a place on the damp 
earth to stretch their w^eary limbs. 

The evening of the second day we 
reached Glenora Landing, the head of 
navigation, and disembarked. From here 
the balance of the journey was over a 
trail built by the government to the head 
of Dease Lake. 

The morning after our arrival at 
Glenora Landing was spent in making 
our baggage into portable parcels and 
dickering with the packers to get them 
to a creek called Twenty-four Mile Creek, 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 1$ 

where we wished to spend at least a few 
days in search of gold before going on to 
the principal gold fields. 

All things being arranged, the next 
morning the overland journey com- 
menced. The country traversed by the 
trail is mountainous, and the trail itself hot 
and dusty — in places passing through 
swamps miles in extent, made passable 
for pack animals by corduroy bridging. 

Here the romance of our situation 
began to wane. The mosquitoes were 
extremely plentiful, and by no means 
considerate of our welfare They buzzed 
in our ears, got into our eyes, noses and 
mouths; — in short, made it so uncom- 
fortable for us that we were greatly 
relieved by camping and making smoke 
fires to drive them away. Those blood- 
thirsty insect pests are very plentiful all 
over the northern part of North America, 
and especially so in the neigborhood of 
swamps, making some places almost unin- 
habitable. 

The evening of the second day's jour- 
ney we camped at Twenty-four Mile 
Creek, where we wished to try our luck. 
The next morning we shouldered our 



1 6 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

tools and started up stream, to use a 
miner's expression, looking for a favorable 
bar. Having ascended the creek several 
m.iles and prospected several bars, we 
found some gold, but not enough to pav 
for working. 

We then concluded to move on to 
Dease Creek, but the pack train had left, 
and there was only one wa}^ to do it. 
That was to pack the goods ourselves — 
the different articles of bedding and tools, 
cooking utensib and provisions, amount- 
ing to more than one hundred pounds to 
the man. This was rather an uncomfort- 
able situation. The sun was very hot, 
and the mosquitoes so thick that they 
would almost blind one. We had to 
pack our goods sixty miles over this 
rough mountain trail to the head of Dease 
Lake, where we could tret convevance 
by boats to Dease Creek. We shoul- 
dered our loads and started, joking each 
other considerably about our different 
merits and abihties to perform mules' 
work. But the incHnation to joke soon 
left us as we jogged along under our 
heavy loads, some swearing at the vicious 
mosquitoes, others bearing their burdens 
in silence. 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. I 7 

I observed then, as I have noticed on 
numerous occasions since, that the silent 
and patient ones far excelled in endurance 
those who used profane language and 
openh' complained. 

After several days of sweatinpf and 
toiling, we arrived at the head of naviga- 
tion on the i\rctic Slope, where, procur- 
ing boats, we loaded on our tools and 
supplies and proceeded without further 
trouble to the diggings. 

Here our faith in the richness of the 
diggings was considerably diminished by 
our observations. The miners all appeared 
to be poor, and a large majority of them 
were subsisting on credit, as they remarked, 
until their dead work was done and they 
could get their claims properly opened 
and on a paying basis. Many wanted to 
sell out, and after a great deal of talk 
regarding the richness of their claims 
would offer to sell at a price so low that 
one would naturally wonder why a man 
should want to give away thousands for 
hundreds. 

Years afterwards I understood these 
things better. Provisions in the diggings 
were high — flour fifty cents per pound, 



l8 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA 

and all other things in proportion. The 
countr}' is extremely mountainous, and 
the mountains are all capped with eternal 
snow. Timber grows only on the low- 
lands. All transportation of supplies is 
done in river boats, and where there are 
no rivers it is done by Indians who charge 
very high for packing. In those rugged 
mountains it would be almost impossible 
to make trails fit for animals. 

These mines were discovered in the 
year 1873, by Henry Tibbetts and J. 
McCulloch, two Canadians, who, having 
the spirit of adventure, crossed the Rocky 
Mountains from the east side with a view 
to trapping and trading with Indians. 
Not being successful in this enterprise, 
they turned their attention to prospecting 
for gold. 

They discovered gold on Dease River, 
a tributary of the Mackenzie, at a place 
known as McCuUoch's bar. Those two 
men had endured many hardships, such 
as are only known to the frontier explorer. 
They had spent three years' time wander- 
ing through the mountains, living by 
hunting and fishing; in all that time never 
seeing the face of any other white man. 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. I9 

When they discovered the gold they were 
lost, not knowing where they were. For- 
tunately they met some Cascar Indians. 

Those Indians had visited Stickeen 
River, where sfold had been found some 
years before and a few white men were 
working. The Indians piloted them to 
the whitemen. The news of this discover}^ 
was carried to Fort Wrangel, then a 
tradincr DOSt, from thence to X'ictoria. In 
those days news of gold discoveries meant 
a rush, and in the following spring it 
•came. Hundreds went to the new Eldo- 
rado. Some were fortunate, but a large 
majority were not, and returned poorer 
than they went. The tirst year in the 
camp provisions w^ere very high, every 
■eatable one dollar per pound, and very 
scarce at that. 

The summer passed away wdth us, 
nothing occurring to disturb the monotony 
of our lives. We kept on prospecting, 
but were not fortunate enough to find any 
paying mines. Our boyish dreams of 
wealth and pleasure vanished, and we 
-were learning the lessons of life's hard 
reality." Winter w'as rapidly approaching. 
Our purses were light and growing lighter 



20 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

eveiy day. 1 concluded 1 had had enough 
of that country and told m}' companions- 
so. We bid each other good-bye, and 
with one companion I started for the 
coast, which we reached in August. 



CHAPTER 11. 

I had heard of a new gold discovery on 
the coast, about one hundred miles north 
of Fort Wrangel, and wished to try my 
luck there. M}^ companion and I arrived 
safely at Wrangel, and at once proceeded 
to outfit for the new diggins. We bought 
a canoe, and in company with two other 
miners from Fort Wrangel, started for 
the mines. The first day out the weather 
was very pleasant, and we row^ed along, 
joking and having a jolly time generally. 
The canoe route was an inland passage. 
The ocean swells are broken by numer- 
ous islands, although in places the passage 
is twelve or fifteen miles wide. 

The second day, in the midst of one of 
those wide places we were overtaken by 
a storm. Being unaccustomed to the 
coast, we were in great danger of being 
swamped, and could not find a place suffi- 
ciently sheltered from the wind and waves 
to risk a landing. The storm drove us 
miles off our course, and it began to rain 
very hard. Darkness came on, and it 



22 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

required the labor of one man continu- 
oush' at bailing to keep the canoe from 
filling with water. The darkness was so 
great, that to see ten feet in any direction 
was barely possible. We were obliged 
to judge by the sound of the breakers on 
shore and keep off, in order to avoid the 
rocks; for, had we struck a rock on that 
dark and stormy night, my narrative would 
end here. Thus we passed the night, 
wet and cold, for in that latitude Septem- 
ber nights are chilly. The grey dawn of 
morning showed us land about three miles 
distant, and also what appeared to be a 
harbor, for which we at once started. 

We found the place \o be inhabited by 
Cake Indians, a tribe that, although not 
openly hostile were very treacherous. 
Several small parties who had been 
prospecting in their neighborhood had 
disappeared, and had never been heard 
from afterwards, although some of their 
goods such as watches and other articles, 
had been found in the possession of these 
Indians. 

We had been driven by the wind far 
out of our course, and to stop there and 
wait until the storm abated was a necessity. 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 23 

Knowing that they were treacherous 
murderers, we had before us a very 
unpleasant prospect. However, we were 
well armed and on our guard, and, although 
only four in number, decided to take the 
chances. They received us in a very 
friendly manner, and insisted on helping 
us to unload our goods and pitch our 
tents. 

Having secured our luggage and made 
a roaring log fire, we cooked our break- 
fast. Our next move was to get some 
sleep after our night of exposure. This 
we proceeded to do, keeping one man on 
guard, giving as a reason ihat he was 
keeping up the fire to dry our clothing. 
The rain had now ceased My turn to 
watch came in the evening, and being 
very suspicious of them I watched them 
narrowlv. Several, of them were loafing 
around our fire and I observed them 
eyeing our guns. They appeared to be 
taking estimates as to the value of our 
goods, and I was fully satisfied that they 
intended to attack us in the night. How- 
ever the storm was abating. 

In order that they might not suspect us 
1 quiedy consulted with the others, and, 



24 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

our camp being a short distance from 
theirs, we decided that after they went, or 
pretended to go to bed, we would slip off 
under cover of the darkness. This we 
thought was the most feasible plan to get 
away, for we were in extreme danger. 
They numbered at least one hundred, and, 
although we were well armed, and they 
were not, we could not expect to stand 
unharmed against such ijreat odds. 

Accordingly we made preparations as 
if we intended to stay that night, but took 
good care to let the fire go out so that its 
light might not betray us, and also so that 
those of them who were loafing in our 
camp might go to their own. After 
darkness had set in, and our unwelcome 
visitors had all left, we quietly carried our 
effects aboard our canoe, leaving the tents 
until the last, knowing that they would 
watch the white tents, if anvthing. 

All things being on board except the 
tents, we then prepared to remove them. 
Some of the party were in favor of leaving 
them; but to live in that wet, rainy climate 
without tents was almost impossible, so 
we concluded to take them vvith us if 
possible. One man was left to guard the 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 25 

canoe, two were to quickly take down 
the tents, and I was to take my station 
about midway between the Indian camp 
and my party, and in case of an attack 
cover the retreat with my Winchester 
rifle. I crept silently toward the village? 
until I could see in the darkness the out- 
line of their bark houses. I looked toward 
my party and the tents and saw their 
ghostly forms disappear toward the canoe, 
and had begun to think that we were 
needlessly alarmed, when an unearthly 
yell of rage and disappointment broke the 
stillness of the night. I thought there 
must be fifty of them at least, and unfor- 
tunately for me they were lower down in 
the brush and almost between me and the 
canoe. 

I felt sure that my companions had 
reached the canoe with the tents. This 
was very satisfactory, but my own situa- 
tion was very unpleasant. However the 
heathens did not know that I was there, 
while I knew very well where they were. 
This was a great advantage to me. But 
how about my companions in the canoe? 
They would be obliged to pull away from 
the shore in order to avoid the villains; 



26 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

in fact I had heard them shove off. The 
Indians fired several shots after them, 
which the boys told me afterwards they 
did not return, as they did not want to 
expose their position and did not want to 
go far from shore until they could get me 
aboard. My mind was quickly made up 
as to the best course to pursue. The 
Indians did not attempt to follow them in 
the dark, although they had plenty of 
canoes. 

As they did not know I was on shore, 
I was comparitively safe. I was satisfied 
that the boys would wait until all was 
quiet, and then return for me. The 
villains w^ent to where we had camped to 
see if we had left anything, and then, 
passing close to where I was hid, went to 
their own village. Soon all was quiet. I 
crept silently toward the beach, and it 
was not long before the canoe came in 
close to the shore. Some of the boys 
gave a low whistle, which I answered 
with due caution. I got aboard, and we 
were all happy once more. The night 
was dark, but the sea was calm as a mill- 
pond. 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 27 

We headed for the Shuck inlet, 
along which the new diggins were. In 
the morning we made land side. We 
landed, cooked our breakfast and felt like 
new men. Here we remained during the 
day, resting ourselves from the fatigue 
and excitement of the previous twenty- 
four hours. The following morning w'e 
resumed our journey, w^hich we accom- 
plished without further difficulty. 

We found about eight miners only at 
the diggins, and their reports were by no 
means flattering, as they said they were 
hardly getting gold enough to pay them 
wages. We also found an abominable 
climate. It was raining when we landed, 
and the rain fell in that place during my 
sojourn there, full three-fourths of the 
time. The cause of this enormous 
amount of rain in that place is found in 
the glaciers and ice fields which are found 
along the stream and inlet, the evapora- 
tion from the warm ocean current, which 
is driven by the wind to the cold icy sur- 
face of the glaciers. This causes the 
vapor to condense, and an almost contin- 
ual rainfall is the consequence. The 
warm current which I refer to is called 



28 thirtp:en years in Alaska. 

the Japanese current. Drifting up from 
the South Pacific ocean, along the coast 
of Japan, it flows eastward along the 
coast of Alaska, w^arming the coast and 
making it habitable, although it makes 
the rainfall very heavy. 

Nothing daunted by the discouraging 
reports, we commenced prospecting, and 
found gold in several places in small quan- 
tities. Finally we found a place which 
we thought would pay. We worked at 
it about ten days and found it would not 
pay. The three who were with me then 
became discouraged and returned to Fort 
Wrangel, leaving me alone. I then pitched 
my tent with the other miners who were 
working on the creek, and continued to 
prospect on the creek about one mile 
above my camp. 

There I found a narrow canyon about 
one half mile in lencfth. Its walls were 
perpendicular. The miners told me that 
no one had ever prospected in it, and that 
it was full of gravel and might contain 
gold. It could be prospected only at low 
water. W atching my opportunity I one 
day found the water low enough to allow 
me to do some prospecting. 



THRITEKN YEARS IN ALASKA, 



29 



The prospect was flittering. With 
nothing but my prospecting pan I panned 
out ten dollars and twenty-five cents worth 
of gold in tuo hours. But it commenced 
raining again, and rain meant high water, 
so I had to get out of the canyon. Then 
I turned my attention to some means of 
turning off the water. I saw that it would 
be necessary to build a flume to carry the 
water over, as the rock w^as perpendicular 
on both sides and there was no chance to 
turn it by. 

To build a flume I must have several 
thousand feet of lumber. This would 
have to be whipsawed, for there were no 
saw mills in Alaska in those days. To 
whipsaw required two men; and I must 
have help. So I showed the gold I had 
panned out to two of the old hands on the 
creek, and gave them equal shares with 
myself in the discovery. We went to 
work whipsawing, making boxes and 
getting ready generally to open the claim 
in good shape. It took us three months 
to make the necessary lumber sluices, and 
another month to put in the flume. 

Our provisions ran short, but game was 
shorter. We killed a pair of black bears, 



30 THIRTHKN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

but they were scarcely tit to eat. They 
tasted very strongly of fish, living, as they 
did at that time of year, on salmon that 
were ascending the river to spawn. How- 
ever fish were plentiful, and I sent a white 
man and two Indians to Fort Wrangel 
for supplies. Our daily fare was fish and 
bear for breakfast, bear and fish for dinner 
and both together for supper. 

Having completed our liume and got 
every thing in readiness, we commenced 
washing only to meet with disappointment. 
The claim did not prove to be near so rich 
as the prospect promised, and would 
barely pay for working, leaving no 
surplus to pay for the months we spent in 
preparation. However we worked away 
all winter, being obliged to stop occasion- 
ally on account of spells of cold weather. 

The man I had sent for supplies arrived, 
but had got caught in a storm and had to 
throw half the cargo overboard in order 
to keep from swamping, so we were 
short of a great many things all winter. 
We killed some mountain sheep which 
helped us out materially. 

The mines kept yielding less and less, 
until they would no longer pay running 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 3I 

expenses. Spring came, and with it high 
water, which washed out our flume and 
we abandoned the claim. We returned 
to Fort Wrangel where each took his own 
course. 



CHAPTER III. 

1 concluded to spend the summer of 
1878 prospecting on Prince of Wales 
Island. Copper had been discovered on 
this island, and the formation was also 
favorable for the more precious metils. 
The island was inhabited by the Hyder 
Indians, a tribe noted for their intelligence 
and good-will toward the whites. Accord- 
ingly, in company with one companion, 1 
started for Carter Bay, distant from Fort 
Wrangel about ninety miles. We arrived 
safely, and were welcomed by the natives 
in a very friendly and hospitable manner. 
The chief had a house made of lumber, 
which he had split out of cedar trees. It 
was roofed with bark. He tendered us a 
corner of his house to live in ; and as it 
was clean and exceptionally well kept for 
an Indian's house we accepted it, making 
him presents in return, of tobacco, coffee, 
and sugar. 

These people are great canoe builders; 
the timber, which is red cedar, growing 



34 THIRTKEN YEARS IX ALASKA. 

quite large on this island. Some of their 
canoes are models of beauty, and some of 
them are very large. I have seen them 
made from the trunk of a single tree so 
large that the^• could easil}- carry eight 
tons. 

These natives, when not engaged in 
liunting or fishing, spend their time in 
making those canoes, both large and 
small, which they trade or sell to neigh- 
boring tribes, who have not the time or 
the skill to make them. They told us 
that they would be pleased to help us to 
find gold or other precious metals on the 
island, for they wanted a plenty of white 
men to come and Hve with them so that 
thev could trade wnth them for flour and 
other articles. 

They materially assisted us in prospect- 
ing, carrving us from place to place in 
their canoes, and guiding us inland to 
places where thev thought we might be 
successful. Also, they brought us fish 
and game, for which their charges were 
very moderate. But I could not find even 
a trace of gold. In one place near a 
good harbor I found several copper leads, 
and the ore looked promising. As it 



TIIIKTFiKN YEARS IX ALASKA. 35 

might carrv silver, my partner and 1 did 
con'-.iderable work here. x\fter seeing 
that the leads liad a permanent appear- 
ance, the next thin^^ was to hnd the value 
<)i the ore. 

This could only be accomplished by 
taking some of the ore and going to San 
Francisco, and havmg it properly tested. 
We decided that my partner should go. 
•So packing up a quantity of the ore, I 
took him and the ore to Pongas Narrows, 
the nearest point where he could board 
the mail steamer. Having seen him off 
to San Francisco, I returned to Prince of 
Wales Island, and continued to do what 
J could to develop our property. My 
partner- expected to return in two months. 

In the meantime I was alone among 
the Indians, there not being a white man 
nearer than Fort Wrangel, ninety miles 
distant. Two months elapsed and no 
partner, and no letter, for I had no chance 
to send to Wrangel the nearest post office. 
Another month and no news. My pro- 
visions were almost gone, so I hired a 
small canoe and one Indian and started 
for Fort Wrangel for supplies. 

Here I met with a little adventure that 



36 THIRTEKN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

almost cost nic m}' life. One day while 
pulling- along in our little canoe close to 
the shore I saw some berries on the bank^ 
a species of the whortleberry, which 
grows in great quantities on the island. 
I told the Indian, who was steering, that 
we would go ashore and get some of 
them. We landed and at once com- 
menced eating berries. The tide was 
rising and we had not properly secured 
our canoe, which got afloat, and when we 
went back to the place it was several 
hundred feet from land. Here was a hx. 
I could see only one way to get it — to 
swim for it. Removing my clothing I 
plunged in and struck out boldly for the 
canoe. I had got within about hfty feet 
of it wdien a wind sprung up from off the 
shore and blew it away faster than I could 
swim. In vain. I did my best, but I 
could not gain one inch. I looked back 
towards the shore. I knew I never could 
swim back, as I was almost exhausted. 
It was a bad position to be placed in. I 
determined to make one more effort for 
the canoe, and at least not to give up as 
long as I could keep above the surface. 
I kept heading for the canoe. I was so 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 37 

tixhausted that I thought every stroke 
would be the last I could make, when I 
thought the wnnd slacked. Then I noticed 
that I was gaining on the canoe. This 
encouraged me and I kept on. The wind 
slacked entirely and I gained the canoe, 
crawled in and lay in the bottom quite 
a while before I got strength enough to 
pull ashore. 

I have often thought to what apparently 
trifling circumstances we owe our lives. 
For had the wind continued to blow a few 
short minutes longer, my doom would 
have been sealed. I could not ha\'e orained 
the canoe, and I should not have had the 
strenoth to return to land. But mv time 
had not come. The All Powerful had 
interposed, and I Hved on and have passed 
through many hardships and dangers 
since. Although T am 3'et a young man, 
and should only be in the prime of life, I 
am physically a wreck through cold, 
starvation and exposure, in the land of the 
midnight sun. A few days afterward I 
reached Fort Wrangel. 

Here I received mail from my partner. 
He had had the ore tested and it proved 
to be worthless. It carried some copper, 



38 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

but not enough to make it valuable: na 
gold or silver. He did not intend to 
return until the coming 3pring. This 
discouraged me from prospecting further 
in that locality. I went to a bay on the 
west side of the same island and spent twa 
months, but found nothing. The balance 
of the time, until February, 1879, I spent 
hunting. 



CHAPTER IV. 

Returning to Fort Wrangel I prepared 
to sled up the Stickeen River on the ice, 
for late in the fall a new gold-bearing 
creek had been discovered in the Cassiar 
district, and I wanted to try my luck on 
it. All things being ready I started with 
one companion up the river. We were 
taking considerable supplies with us. 
which, in that country in winter or early 
spring, are always conveyed on hand-sleds; 
some times with dogs, but oftener the 
miners not having dogs pull them them- 
selves. My partner and I not having 
dogs were doing our own pulling. We 
had too much freight to take it all at one 
load, and were obliged to make two trips. 
Thus, suppose we had a thousand 
pounds, we would take five hundred and 
haul it one half day's journey, and go back 
in the afternoon. The next day we would 
haul up the rear load, and so on until the 
journey was finished. A good many 
parties were ahead of us. Thus the road 
was broken and very good, though the 



40 THIRTKKN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

weather was cold. All went smoothly 
enough, until one stormy morning we had 
a longer journey than usual to make. 
The snow was drifting some, which delayed 
us, as it made the sleds harder to pull, 
and it was almost dark before we got 
started back to camp where our beds 
were. 

The storm increased, and to add to our 
discomfort it was bitter cold and blowing 
in our faces. It became very dark, and 
in many places the trail was drifted full, 
as the wind having blown the snow all 
clean from the glare river ice left us no 
guide to go by. 

In all those northern rivers that are 
frozen in winter, there are air holes or 
places that do not freeze, caused by 
currents of air. I had thought of those 
places, but had not seen any as we came 
up during da\light: but we had lost the 
trail and in the darkness got off our course. 
All of a sudden my footing gave way and 
I, was floundering- in the cold river water. 
My partner, who was behind, warned by 
the splash I made managed to stop, but 
not before he got partly in. I had fallen 
headlong. Fortunately the water was 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 4 1 

shallow, not over three feet deep. I 
regained my feet before I got drifted 
under the ice, and climbed out again on 
the solid ice. In a moment my clothes 
had frozen stiff; and to add to the horror 
of the situation, we were lost in the dark- 
ness and did not know where to go. 

My partner had only got his feet and 
legs wet, as he had not fallen down. To 
attempt to find the camp in that bitter 
cold wind, I knew was almost sure death. 
So we headed for a bunch of timber on the 
bank and penetrated it until we found a 
sheltered place. We tramped a path in 
the snow around a large cottonwood tree, 
and kept up a kind of Indian war dance 
around it. My frozen pants broke through 
at the knees, and I saw at once that we 
must do something else, for it was early 
in the spring, and we could not stand it all 
night, for the nights up north in February 
are long. As I had got wet all over, I 
had no matches that would burn. For- 
tunately my partner had some that had 
not got wet. We went in search of, and 
at length found a dry stub of a tree, and 
after a great deal of trouble and when 



42 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

our matches were almost gone, we finally 
got it to burn. 

It made a good tire and burned all night 
and saved us from freezing: if not our 
whole bodies, at least some of our limbs. 

At daylight we found we were but a 
short distance from camp. We went to 
camp, made a roaring fire, got a good 
breakfast and slept all day. 

I have dreamed of that plunge in that 
cold water on that cold night months 
afterward, and woke up with a warning 
cry to my partner, that seemed to me 
almost as real as it did on that wretched 
night. But such is the Hfe of the miners 
and frontiersman of the far north. They 
are exposed to cold, hunger, wild beasts, 
savage tribes and all diseases induced by 
their rough mode of living, many even 
dying with scurvy. 

All this is borne without complaint; 
and a miner will divide his last morsel 
with a comrade in distress. To abandon 
a sick or wounded miner is looked upon 
as the most unpardonable of crimes. You 
must stay with and nurse him, or bring 
him to a place w^here medical assistance 
can be procured. I know men whom 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 43 

have assisted in carrying or hauling 
hundreds of miles. 

Having recovered from our night of 
misfortune, we proceeded on our journey. 
We were more fortunate the balance of 
the trip. Nothing occurred to delay or 
annoy us. We arrived safely at the 
diggings and found the weather cold and 
ever3'thing frozen solid. We went to the 
new creek, staked off claims, made our- 
selves comfortable, and waited for the 
weather to moderate so that we could 
prospect.* 

In a few days the weather moderated 
and we went to work prospecting. We 
sunk holes to the bed rock in various 
places. This was quite a job, for the 
ground was frozen solid all the way. 
We found some gold but the mine was 
not rich. We concluded to work it, and 
prepared accordingly. We sawed lum- 
ber, made sluice boxes, and built a wing 
and head dam. Having got the water 
turned off, we commenced washing. The 
claim paid well, and we flattered our- 
selves that we should do well that sum- 
mer. It paid for about one month, and 
then all at once it failed. Although we 



44 THIRTEEN YEARS IiN ALASKA. 

spent time and money trying to find the 
pay-streak again we did not succeed. 

We sold out to some Chinamen, for the 
claim would still pay enough to satisfy a 
Chinaman. We packed our effects and 
started for new fields. But I did not find 
anything more that summer although I 
was busy prospecting. One day I was 
prospecting in a small gulch. I sunk a 
little shallow hole to the bed rock, and 
filledmy pan from the bottom of the hole. 
I went to the water and washed it out in 
that pan. I got a nugget that \ras wortli 
twent3'-eight dollars, but strange to say, 
I could not find another in the gulch. I. 
often wondered how that nugget got there 
all by it&elf. I continued to prospect 
until the snow came, but met with no re- 
ward. Then I returned to Fort Wr angel 
in the Fall of 1879. 



CHAPTER V. 

When I arrived at Fort Wrangel, I 
found that there were very favorable re- 
ports from the Sitka quartz mines. Sev- 
eral years before this, a practical quartz 
miner had enlisted in the United States 
army, and with his company had been 
assigned to duty at Sitka, Barnoff Island, 
Alaska. Now^ being something of an 
expert in quartz, he soon discovered that 
the country was gold-bearing. At the 
expiration of his term of service he 
remained in Alaska to prospect. He 
succeeded in making several valuable 
discoveries. He went to Portland, Oregon, 
organized a company and commenced 
work on the mines. This is what caused 
the favorable reports I have mentioned. 

I took the first mail steamer that came 
along for Sitka. 

The site of the present town of Sitka 
IS not where the Russians first settled. 
They first settled in a place called at 
present Old Sitka, where they lived and 
traded with the natives a number of years. 



46 TIIIRTKKN YEARS I\ ALASKA 

But finally the natives became hostile, 
and one dark and stormy night treacher- 
ously gained entrance to the Russian fort 
and murdered every man, woman, and 
child, leaving no one to tell the tale. 

When this became known to the Rus- 
sian government they promptlv sent a 
war ship, the natives were severely pun- 
ished and a new town was started on the 
present site of the town of Sitka. I am 
not able to state how long since this 
occurred, but it was a great many years 
ago, for the new town of Sitka has a xavy 
ancient appearance. Here the Russians 
built very large and substantial buildings 
of hewed logs, or square timber. At 
present some of them are rotted to the 
ground, and all are more or less rotten 
and dilapidated. Here I found a couple 
of hundred Russians, or people of Russian 
descent; also many half-breeds. They 
were of the lower class of Russians, and 
did not appear in the least superior to the 
native Indians. They w'ere drunken and 
debauched in the extreme. It was a 
common sight to see a Russian woman 
going along the streets staggering under 
the influence of whiskey or some other 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 47 

vile compound, using the most profane 
and indecent language and cursing some 
one for some real or imaginary wrong. 

Their living is principal}' lish, or 
the same as that of the natives. They 
seldom have flour or groceries, for all 
their money goes for alcoholic stimulants, 
and it is fortunate for them that they have 
no opportunity to get much money. Here 
both Russians and Indians manufacture 
by distiUing a liquor called hoochenoo. 
It is made from molasses, sugar, potatoes 
and in fact from almost anything that will 
ferment. They make their stills from old 
tin coal' oil cans, also making the worm 
out of scraps of tin soldered together. At 
this business they display considerable 
ingenuity, and it is a noticeable fact that 
a native Alaskan, whether he be of 
Russian or Indian parentage, will bring 
forth all his mechanical skill if there is 
any whiskey to be got by it. Such is the 
life led by these poor, miserable people. 
Yet nature has furnished them w^ith food 
in abundance. The w^aters are teeming 
with fish, which are easily taken at all 
seasons. The land suppHes them with 
deer, bear and other smaller game, so that 



48 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

with the necessaries of life thev are well 
provided for: much better than thousands 
of the poor of Europe and the larger 
cities of America, where, in cold winter, 
children roam the streets, selling papers, 
matches and other light articles to get the 
money to buy their daily bread. 

No native child in Alaska is so poor. 
Their houses are stocked with dried fish 
and game. Fuel is abundant, and they 
are happy. If they would continue to live 
according to their ancient customs they 
would remain happv, but they are trying 
to imitate the whites. In this they are 
encouraged by the missionaries and the 
United States government. 

It is a mistake, and this is the reason 
why: The government has appropriated 
certain sums yearly for the education of 
the native Alaskans. The money is 
handled by a mission, and a sectarian 
mission at that. This mission also adds 
to the amount by private subscriptions 
through the States, and the two sources 
of supply combined make a considerable 
sum. With this money they have built a 
large boarding school at Sitka, and also 
other schools at less important places. 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 49 

At Sitka they gather in a large number 
of Indian children. More girls than boys 
enter the schools; but some of the boys 
not liking the restraints run away. Thus 
the schools are composed mainly of girls. 
The boys and girls that remain are fed 
and clothed on the civilized plan. They 
acquire tastes for the white people's style 
of living. They are taught to cook and 
sew, and keep themselves clean. They 
are also taught to speak English, to read 
and write; in fact all the branches of a 
common school education. They are also 
taught the knowledge of the Scriptures. 
Now this is all right; that is, the education 
and the religious teaching. But not so 
the boarding house arrangement. There 
the females acquire the same tastes that 
our own mothers and sisters have. They 
Hve on the same food, cooked in the same 
style that the whites use. When their 
time expires at the school t^ev are sent 
out to make their own living. They have 
no knowledge of ihe ways and means 
pursued by their fathers and mothers in 
getting their support from the sea and 
forest. The}- cannot get emplovment 
from the whites, and they are truly in a 



50 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

helpless condition. You would naturally 
-ask the question : Why do they not marry 
the young men of their tribe? The reason 
is this: The men are raised as Indians, 
the females with the habits of the whites, 
and they have no tastes in common. 
Their boarding school education estranges 
them from their natural protectors. This 
^tate of affairs is taken advantage of by 
white men, men of bad principles. The 
girls are ruined body and soul. A few 
short years and intemperance and other 
vices have done their deadly work, and 
the chapter of their life is closed forever. 
Such being the case, why would it not 
be better to drop the boarding school 
system. To educate them is all right. 
To teach them the Jaws of God is also 
-good. But it is self-evident that to teach 
them a mode of living, which the natural 
resources of the country will not support, 
is a mistake. It is also a noticeable fact, 
that the most criminal and vagabond class 
among the natives are those who have 
been educated by the whites. This is a 
deplorable state of affairs, yet the officers 
of the government do not appear to take 
any notice of it. And it is not likely that 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN AEASKA. 5 I 

they will so long as their own fat salaries 
are promptly paid. 

The natives are rapidly decreasing in 
numbers. This decrease is caused by the 
ravages of diseases that are always the 
result of intemperance and other vices. 
The death rate among them at present 
far exceeds the birth rate. A few short 
years more of the present style of manage- 
ment and the native Alaskan Indian will 
be numbered with the races that have 
passed from earth never to return. 

The Russian population of Sitka, with 
a few exceptions, are not at all superior 
to the Indians, except in their origin. 
Their habits of life are the same. The 
morals of the Russian Alaskan are no 
better than those of his darker skinned 
neighbor, and it was a common sight to 
see them band together in drunken 
debauches. They also are decreasing ^n 
numbers. Some of them will work when 
they can get employment. So also will 
the Indian, w^ho do almost all the packing 
and carrying of supplies for miners and 
others through the territory. 



CHAPTER VI. 

But now, dear reader, having given an 
insight into the habits and morals of the 
people of Sitka, I will proceed to speak 
of its industries. The mines are situated 
twelve miles from Sitka, near the head of 
an arm of the sea, called Silver Bay. A 
small steam launch was used by the com- 
pany to transport the mining supplies to 
the head of salt w^ater. From thence to 
the mine, about two miles, Indian labor 
was used. The quartz was gold-bearing, 
carrying no other minerals of any value. 
It was also of the kind that some call 
ribbon rock. Portions of it were ver}- 
rich in gold, while the greater part was 
almost entirely worthless. 

Our boarding house was at an elevation 
of twelve hundred feet above sea level, 
and in that high latitude twelve hundred 
feet high means cold weather in winter. 
Our quarters were made of lumber, with 
the cracks battened up. It was really 
very poor quarters for so cold a climate 
in winter. Often the victuals would freeze 



54 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

on the table while we were having our 
meals. The company were very anxious 
to get their little five stamp mill built in 
order to test the value of their mine, and 
would not stop for cold weather. Event- 
ually, by perseverance, we got the 
machinery hauled over the snow on sleds,, 
employing Indians to haul the sleds. We 
built the mill and drove a tunnel, and by 
the first of March the following spring,. 
1880, were ready to run. The company 
had expended eight thousand dollars. All 
things being ready we started up, only ta 
find that the ore was not rich enough to 
pay. The work shut down. The money 
expended was a dead loss, and the mine 
is there for any one that wants it. 



CHAPTER VII. 

The summer of 1880 I spent in pros- 
peciing in the vicinity of Sitka. I did not 
find anything of any value. I was think- 
ing I would leave Alaska, and was waiting 
in Sitka for the ship. We then had only 
one vessel a month. Just then two other 
prospectors came in, who had been pros- 
pecting in the neighborhood of Tarko 
River. They had made good discoveries, 
both in quartz and placer gold. I con- 
cluded to remain, and joined a party with 
four others. 

We purchased a boat, and taking about 
two weeks' provisions with us started for 
the new discovery. It was our intention 
to go there as soon as possible — -try to 
get claims near the discovery and return 
to Sitka to winter. It was then the lirst 
of November, and we did not care to try 
to do anything during the winter. 

We were not acquainted with the coast 
in that locality, and were obliged to travel 
by an old Russian chart, which I had 
managed to pick up at Sitka. The chart 



56 thirtp:en years in Alaska. 

was not correct and caused us to lose our 
way several times, for our route lay 
among the numerous islands along the 
coast. After a good deal of traveling 
and hunting around we succeeded in find- 
ing the Auk Indian village. The Auks 
are a small tribe of Indians who live in the 
vicinity of the place where the gold was 
found. 

I have neglected to mention that we could 
not get any reliable information from the 
two men who made the discover}^, as they 
did not want parties to go there before 
spring, fearing that they might interfere 
with their claims. Had they been willing 
to give us a map of the location it would 
have saved us much time and annoyance. 
However the Auk Indians knew the place, 
but were smart enough to demand a large 
fee for showing us where it was. It also 
began to snow, which made it yet more 
difficult, as it covered up the tracks made 
b}' the tirst parties. 

The Indians demanded one hundred 
dollars for showing us the place. This 
demand we did not feel inclined to comply 
with. After a good deal of dickering and 
losing several days more time, we finally 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 57 

induced them, for a small sum, to show us 
where the discoverers had camped on the 
beach. Every thing was covered with 
snow, but we kept up our search and 
linallv found their location stakes in a 
little valley about four miles from our 
camp. 

Owing to the depth of the snow, w^hich 
was increasing every day, it was impossi- 
ble to prospect to any advantage, and we 
were forced to give up trying to get any 
claims until spring. In the meantime our 
provisions had completely given out. We 
were one hundred and sixty miles from 
Sitka, the nearest supply point. 

We decided to return at once to Sitka. 
First we w^ent to the Indian village where 
we invested several dollars in dried salmon, 
which, although not very palatable food, 
is a great deal better than nothing. 

We started for Sitka, but the winter 
storms were fully upon us. The wind 
blew continuously, and, day after day, we 
were obliged to He in camp, the wind and 
seas making it too dangerous to travel. 
Our food was dry salmon and clams; and 
to add to our discomfort the snow turned 
to rain, and the heavy winds drove it 



58 THIRTEEN YEARS IX ALASKA. 

through our tent like a sieve. All of our 
clothing and blankets were very wet — so 
wet that we could not sleep in them. W e 
could not dry them for the rain was con- 
tinuous and heavy, however, we managed 
to make a large log-heap lire. Fortu- 
nately we found some pitch pine which 
made a lire possible. 

This added much to our comfort. 
Here we could cook three meals a day, 
and have a change every meal. Thus, 
salmon and clams for breakfast, clams and 
salmon for dinner, and reverse it again for 
supper. On several occasions I went 
hunting, and once I was rewarded with a 
porcupine. He was fat and made us a 
tine stew. 

Well it could not storm always, so one 
day it quit and cleared off. We launched 
our boat and returned to Sitka without 
further trouble. 

By this time a lot of miners, who had 
come from the Cassiar mines to the coast 
to winter, heard of the new strike and 
had come to Sitka to outtit and go there. 
This created a stampede. Every one 
wanted to go. Although nothing could 
be done durinir the winter, thev would be 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 59 

there when spring opened. So every- 
body, or all the miners, went there. 

Again I outfitted. This time with two 
partners, and taking winter supplies w^ent 
back. The weather was good, and w^e 
had no trouble on the trip. We all camped 
on the beach, about forty miners all told, 
and started a new town. That town is 
now Juneau City, the metropolis of 
Alaska. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

We spent the winter in building log 
houses'and sawing lumber with whipsaws, 
for we had a vague idea that we would 
want the lumber in the spring. Miners 
came from other places, and w^hen sprmg 
opened there were nearty two hundi'ed 
miners on hand. 

As the snow melted aw^ay all were busy 
prospecting, and almost every one secured 
claims of some value, both of placier and 
quartz. Some of the quartz was very 
rich; not so wnth the placier, although it 
paid to work it, that w^as about all. It 
did not prove to be rich. 

Early in the spring' the Douglas Island 
mines were discovered, among which is 
the famous Treadwell mine. This mine 
was discovered by an Indian, who showed 
it to a Frenchman. The Frenchman 
located and sold the mine to John Tread- 
well & Co., for four hundred dollars. 
To-day it is the greatest mine in the 
world. 



62 THIRTEEN YEARS IX ALASKA. 

The company reside in San Francisco. 
They haye a two hundred and forty stamp 
mill, with a sulphuret concentrator to each 
battery of liye stamps. They also haye 
large works for extracting the gold from 
the sulphuret. The mine is the largest 
known body of quartz in the world, the 
lodge being about tiye hundred feet wide, 
cropping out this width for thousands of 
feet in length. There are other large and 
high grade ledges of high grade ore, 
which will undoubtedly become paying 
mines when properly opened and worked. 

The Juneau City mines, and Douglas 
Island mines are in the same district, 
about tiye miles apart. The Douglas 
Island mines are situated on Douglas 
Island, directly opposite Juneau, across a 
narrow channel of salt water and about 
two miles distant from Juneau City, while 
the mines on the Juneau City side are 
located all the way from the town to a 
distance of four miles back from salt 
water. 

Many of the quartz mines here haye 
great natural adyantages for shipping 
machinery. It could be put aboard the 
ship in San Francisco and landed right on 



THIRTEEN YEARS IX ALASKA. 63 

the mill site in Alaska, where it would 
be required for use. Such is the situa- 
tion of the famous Treadwell mine. 

Labor here is not high, considering the 
cHmate and other disagreeable surround- 
ings, which the laborer hao to contend 
with. Wages range all tlie way from 
two to six dollars a day. A common 
white laborer will get three dollars per 
day, a miner four, a blacksmith live, a 
millwright six and an Indian two dollars 
per day. 

The Indians are largely employed in 
packing. This they generally do by con- 
tract, and are paid according to the dis- 
tance and the weight of the article to be 
packed. They are very treacherous and 
untrustworthy. I have known them to 
agree to pack a certain distance at a cer- 
tain price; they w^ould start with the load 
and after packing it a short distance, and 
yet so far from town that you could not 
get any one else to pack it, because there 
was no one there to get, they would set 
the load down and demand double the 
price agreed upon. If you would not 
pay it they would leave you and your 
goods on the road, leaving you in an 



64 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

unpleasant situation. You could not carry 
the load yourself, and if vou left it, it 
would be stolen, and there was no one 
near whom you could get to pack it for 
you. This was very annoying. Yet to 
all these inconyeniences we must submit. 
All for the sake of the poor Indian. 

I haye also seen the members of one 
tribe preyent the members of another 
from packing or working for white men, 
because they did not think the pay suffi- 
cient. There the Indians come in o-reat 
numbers in search of employment. Being 
of different tribes, they do a great deal of 
quarreling among themselyes, and even 
go so far sometimes as to kill each other. 

However, when it got so far as that, it 
became necessary for the whites to inter- 
fere, for we wanted the Indians to labor, 
and if they were fighting among them- 
selves we could not get them to work. 

Unfortunately among the white popu- 
lation there were some unprincipled scoun- 
drels, who made it a business to sell vile 
whiskey to them, and as we had no law 
it could only be precented by the miners 
making a rule forbidding it, and as we 
had made our own mining laws we also 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 65 

added a clause to that effect. Yet there 
were some who paid no attention to this, 
and on several occasions it became neces- 
sary for the miners to sieze and destroy 
their poisonous mixtures. 

One of this class of men located him- 
self on a trail leading from Juneau back 
to the portion of the district called the 
basin. This trail was largely traveled by 
Indians, and the reprobate had built a log 
cabin, where he was doing a rushing 
business. One evening three Indians 
came along who were intoxicated before 
they came to his place. They had no 
money, but demanded liquor. He refused 
them credit — a fight was the result, and 
the white man was killed. One of the 
natives struck him on the head with a 
club and broke his skull. The Indian 
who did the deed was one of the most 
lawless of his tribe, and there were strong 
suspicions that he had killed white men 
before. The next day after committing 
the murder, he asserted that he would 
kill more white men yet. 

Now the Indians had been very saucy 
and impudent all summer. There being 
a great many more Indians than white 



66 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

men in the camp, they had received the 
impression that the whites were afraid of 
them. So a citizens' meeting was called, 
and it was decided that it would not do to 
let the murder go unnoticed. It was 
thought best to arrest him and turn him 
over to the United States authorities at 
Sitka. 

As we knew that the gunboat would be 
over from Sitka in a few days, the arrest 
was made at once. He resisted and was 
aided by the two who were with him 
when the murder was committed. This 
made it necessary to arrest the three. A 
man was appointed to guard them and 
they were locked up in a building that 
had two rooms. The guard occupied the 
front room and the prisoners were locked 
up in the back room. They were con- 
lined here about one week, when one of 
the prisoners pretending that he wanted 
to do some sewing, asked and received 
permission from the guard to sit in the 
front room, as the back room was too 
dark, there being no window. The guard 
was armed, but foolishly and carelessly 
had allowed his pistol to lie on the table 
in the room. This was what the murder- 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 67 

ous, treacherous Indian wanted, and watch- 
ing when the guard turned away for an 
instant, he seized the pistol and shot him 
in the back. Then unbarring the door 
released the other two, and all three ran 
off to the Indian town, taking the pistol 
with them. 

The Indian town is situated about one- 
half mile from Juneau, and at the time 
when this occurred there were at least 
one thousand Indians in the village. The 
murderous act was partly witnessed by a 
miner who was near the buildino-. He 
foolishly, alone and unarmed, followed 
the three fugitives who ran into an Indian 
house. He attempted to enter also, when 
the Indian w^ho had the pistol shot him 
dead at the door. 

At once all was excitement, both in the 
Indian and white settlements, and a con- 
flict appeared to be inevitable. The 
miners were notified in every direction 
and all came to town. Fortunately we 
had plenty of arms and ammunition. The 
Indians far exceeded us in number, for 
we could not raise more than two hundred 
and fifty men, while the Indians could 
raise a thousand. Yet we had the advant- 



68 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

age of being well armed, while they had 
nothing but old style shot guns. Still it 
was our desire to avoid a conflict, as w^e 
could not profitably fight Indians and mine 
at the same time. For in case of a con- 
tinued war much property w^ould be 
exposed to their depredations, and also 
many isolated parties of miners w^ho were 
out prospecting, might be killed. Yet it 
was necessary to punish the murderers, as 
it would not do to let them commit such 
murders and go free. A small detachment 
of armed men was sent to the Indians to 
demand the prisoners. We found the 
Indians all armed, but they did not appear 
to wish to fight. We called for their 
chiefs, who came forth, and we spoke to 
them, telling them that we must have the 
prisoners; that we did not wish to fight 
with and kill others of them who were 
innocent of crime; that we only wanted 
those who had murdered our friends; that 
we wished to remain on friendly terms 
with them; that if they did not give them 
up quietly we should be obliged to take 
them by force, and that we would be 
assisted by the government, who would 
undoubtedly send gunboats to help us. 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 69 

This had the desired effect. If you want 
to scare an Alaska Indian talk gunboat 
and cannon to him. After considerable 
talk amongst themselves they agreed to 
give them up. The chief pointed out the 
house they were in and told us to go and 
get them, that the}^ would not interfere. 

We found the door barred, and they 
would not answer when we asked them 
to open. Procuring a large stick we 
quickly battered down the door and 
entered. They had got a board loose on 
the back side of the hut, and, jumping 
through, attempted to escape. But escape 
was impossible, as the house was sur- 
rounded. 

The Indian who committed the first 
murder, still having the murdered guard's 
pistol with one load in it, placed the 
muzzle to his temple and blew out his 
brains, thus cheating the gallows. We 
secured the other two and took them back 
to Juneau, passing through almost the 
eniire length of the Indian village. On 
our return we passed by groups of natives. 
They had put away their arms, but looked 
sulky and threatening. 



70 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

A meeting of all the citizens was at 
once called, and consultations had as ta 
what should be done with the prisoners. 
It was decided to at once appoint a judges- 
impanel a jury and give them as fair a 
trial as possible in the absence of proper 
authority and law. This was done. 
Witnesses were examined, the evidence 
was positive and very strong. The verdict 
of the jury was: "Guilty of murder in the 
first degree." The sentence was death. 

A committee was at once appointed to 
build a scaffold. It was built on the 
beach, in plain view of the Indian village, 
in order that it might be a lesson to them. 
All things being completed, the prisoners 
were brought forth under a strong guard. 
It may be said to their credit that they 
showed no signs of fear. They both 
made short speeches in which they ex- 
pressed themselves willing to die, and 
they had confidence that they were going 
to a happier land. They advised their 
friends to live at peace with the white 
man and conform to his laws; also to 
avoid the use of whiskey and other intoxi- 
cants. They said that they forgave their 
enemies and wished all to forgive them.. 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 7 1 

Having spoken thus they pronounced 

themselves ready. The black cap was 

put on, the noose adjusted, the trap sprung, fj^ / 

and there were two Bi©i5# good Indians on 

earth and two more hunters in the happy 

hunting ground. When they had hung 

long enough, their bodies were cut down 

and taken away by their relatives. 

This ended the unfortunate affair, but 
it had an excellent effect on the natives 
afterwards. They were quite civil to the 
whites, and although this occurred several 
years ago, there has never been any 
trouble with them since. 



CHAPTER IX. 

In times before the advent of the whites 
in Alaska, it was the Indian custom to 
hunt and fish in summer, laying up great 
stores of dried fish and game for winter 
use. Their trapping for furs was done in 
winter. The Russian Fur Company had 
established trading posts all along the 
coast, from the mouth of Stickeen River 
in the south, to the mouth of the Yukon 
River in Behrings Straits on the north. 
There was no opposition, and the natives 
were compelled to take just what the 
company chose to give them for their furs. 

It is needless to say that the prices 
received by the natives were very low. 
For example, they would trade an old 
fashioned flint-lock shot gun for furs after 
this manner. They would hold the gun 
upright on the floor, and the Indian who 
bought it had to pay for it a pile of 
marten skins reaching up to the top of the 
gun. Every skin would be worth five or 
six dollars in the home market. Thus 
they realized five or six hundred dollars 



74 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

for an article not worth ten. All their 
other furs they were cheated out of in the 
same way. 

Yet they were really better off in those 
days than they are now, for now they 
have almost quit fishing and hunting. 
They depend on getting their winter sup- 
plies by working for wages for white men 
in summer. Although they accumulate 
considerable money in summer, they do 
not take care of it, and the earlv winter 
finds the majority of them destitute. 
Many of them suffer with hunger, even 
in this land of abundance, through their 
own negligence. 

Whiskey has much to do with this, for 
there are still those here, who will furnish 
them with it, and an Indian will brave 
hunger and cold at any time if he can only 
get whiskey. 

There is also another custom which is 
detrimental to their general welfare. If 
an Indian accumulates more than he 
requires for himself and family, which is 
often the case, he gives what in our 
language would be called a grand ball. 
He spends all his surplus wealth for 
groceries and dry goods, and speaking in 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 75 

his language, gives a potlatch, that is, 
divides the goods up in presents among 
his guests, often tearing blankets in small 
strips in order that the division may be 
equal. 

These potlatch parties always leave the 
giver destitute, for he invariabW gives 
away all he has. In return for this he 
receives the title of chief, and the greater 
the amount he has given away the greater 
chief he is supposed to be. Yet it is only 
a title, for I never could see that a chief 
had any authority worth mentioning. All 
these things keep the natives poor. In 
times gone by he was happy. He hunted 
and fished for his food, and trapped for 
his clothing. He had never heard of an 
intoxicant of any kind. His health was 
good; and all things which his natural 
taste craved, were easily procured. But 
alas for poor Lo! Those happy days are 
past and gone. He no longer fishes and 
hunts. He weilds the axe, the hammer, 
the pick and shovel, and packs huge 
burdens on his back. He is a slave to 
the white man and his own depraved 
appetite for strong drink. 



76 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

The general health of this once happy- 
people is destroyed; their morals have 
not improved by contact with the whites; 
the poison of unmentionable diseases has 
impregnated the whole race. A few 
short years more at the present death rate 
among them, and the copper colored 
native Alaskan will only exist in history. 

The question naturally arises, w^hy is it 
so? It always has been so where the two 
races come in contact. One cause is the 
bad class of white men who are always 
flocking to the frontier. I do not mean 
to assert that all are bad; that half, or 
even one-fourth, are bad. But there are 
always enough to do irreparable damage 
by teaching them all the vices practiced 
by the whites. The government is slow 
to act; and when it does act, takes little 
or no interest in the welfare of the natives. 
Some will ask, what are our missions 
doing? They are also slow to act, and 
generally follow up the prospectors and 
miners, and the seeds of vice are sown 
before they get there. They should be 
the first on the ground, because, according 
to the proverb, an ounce of preventative 
is worth a pound of cure. But they are 



1 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 77 

too late. The mischief is done, and the 
confidence of the natives in the white 
man's honesty and truth is destroyed- 
before they arrive. 

No doubt the intentions of the mission- 
aries are good, but their efforts are 
sometimes worse than useless. It is so in 
the case of the young Indians' boarding 
school, or so called home, at Sitka. The 
intentions of the supporters of that institu- 
tion are good, but they are eastern people 
and do not understand the Indian character. 
Schools are good, churches are good, but 
the natives have homes better suited to 
their character and tastes than can be 
furnished by the whites. 



1 



CHAPTER X. 

Considerable prospecting is done every 
summer along the coast, and some valu- 
able discoveries have been made, both of 
gold and silver bearing rock; gold quartz 
also exists in large quantities on Admiralty 
Island. 

The prospector in the early spring finds 
it necessary to exercise a good deal of 
caution on account of snow slides. On 
one occasion my companion and I were 
traveling along the mountain side. We 
both had packs on our backs, for it is 
necessary there to carry both your bed 
and provisions. When traveling in the 
mountains, if you cannot get an Indian to 
pack for you, you must do it yourself; 
for pack animals are out of the question. 
The hills are too rugged, and the timber 
too thick. We were at an elevation 
something like twelve or fifteen hundred 
feet above the sea, and close to the beach. 
We came to a field of snow which lay in 
a declivity on the mountain side. It was 
about one-fourth of a mile in width and 



8o THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

sloping down quite steep to a precipice, 
or sheer descent of a thousand feet or 
more. We were obb'ged to cross this 
snow tield or climb much higher to get 
around it. Being tired we did not wish 
to climb, and decided to cross it where we 
were. We did not like it, but overcoming 
our fears we started. 

In the middle of the snow was a large 
rock, which w^as solid in place and bare of 
snow. My companion was ahead. We 
had not gone far when I thought I noticed 
the snow moving. I called to my com- 
panion to come back. He laughed at me 
and kept on. I stopped, when all at 
once, with a dull, grinding sound, the 
whole field started over the cHff. To go 
over that cliff on the snow would be to 
fall more than one thousand feet into the 
briny ocean. Drawing my sheath knife I 
hastily cut the fastenings of the pack on 
my back and ran for Hfe to the side I 
started from, leavinor my pack to go over 
the cliff. I then turned to look for my 
companion. He had fallen down and was 
struggHng to regain his feet. His pack 
was still on his back. I called to him to 
cut it loose, but the roaring of the rushing 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 8l 

and grinding snow prevented his hearing 
me; and although he regained his footing 
he was being rapidly carried to the preci- 
pice. Fortunately the sliding snow was 
carrying him tow^ard the large rock in the 
middle, which was solid and higher than 
the surrounding snow. He saw the rock 
and barely managed to gain it. He 
remained there till the snow had all passed 
by. Such is the life of the gold hunter 
in this far northwest country. Had it 
not been for the rock in the middle his 
death would have been certain; for there 
was no way that I could render him the 
least assistance. Having lost my pack, 
which contained some of the necessaries 
of life, we were obliged to return to our 
camp on the beach. 



.#*l*^^ 

'"'^h^ 




WHICH IS THE WORST SCARED? 



CHAPTER XI 

Here we refitted and staried again; 
this time for the interior of the island. 
We found it very hard traveling, for it 
was raining almost continuoush' and the 
p-rowth of underbrush was so den^vi as to 
be in places almost impenetrable. Here 
grows a shrub called Devil's Club. It 
grows very dense and is covered with 
thorns. These thorns are strong and 
sharp, and long enough to penetrate your 
clothing. They are slightly poisonous 
and cause inflammation. In some places 
are great tracts of fallen timber, and the 
streams w^ere high and difficult and dan- 
gerous to ford. 

It is only where the streams of water 
cut through that the geological formation 
can be seen. The growths of timber are 
principally of the coniferous order, inter- 
spersed in the low lands with alder, soft 
maple, and a Httle cottonwood. Although 
there is plenty of timber, the quality is 
inferior. It is scrubby, knotty and wind 
shaken. It can be used for the rougher 



84 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

building material, but finishing lumber 
must be shipped from Puget Sound. 

The wealth of Alaska consists of its 
gold mines and fisheries; and the time is 
not far distant when it will take the lead 
in those two sources of profit. It will be 
a profitable field for the prospector for a 
hundred years to come, and equally so for 
the fisherman. 

The same description in regard to 
climate and vegetation will apply to both 
islands and main land in Alaska. 

After making several trips like the one 
described, and boating all around the 
island, finding nothing of any value, we 
left it in disgust and tried our fortunes in 
Berner's Bayou on the main land, about 
fifty miles north of Juneau. 



CHAPTER XII. 

In that locality gold had been found, 
:and indications were good for paying 
strikes. There we made some discov- 
eries, and also some very good prospects 
were found by other parties; and now 
there is a promising, but undeveloped 
mining camp at that place. 

Upon one occasion, while prospecting 
in this district, I had the good fortune to 
witness a battle between two monstrous 
male cinnamon bears. Although the 
fighting of animals has always been some- 
thing that I did not like to witness, yet I 
can say it was not the case that time. I 
do not like bears, especially the large, 
savage kind; and while they were fighting 
I was hoping that they would succeed in 
killing each other. My companion and I 
were climbing up the mountain side in 
search of quartz ledges, w^hen our atten- 
tion was drawn to a very musical noise. 
It consisted of a continuous growling, 
grunting and half barking noise, very 
loud and distinct. At first we did not 



86 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

know what to think of it, but finally con- 
cluded it must be bears fighting. So we 
changed our course in the direction of the 
noise. We had not traveled far till we 
came to an open glade, or space of land 
comparatively level, on which no timber 
grew — a space of three or four acres — 
and here were the bears. We did not 
enter the glade, as we did not want any 
hand in the fight. 

Our first move was to find and climb a 
good tree and get a secure position thereon, 
where we could have a good view of the 
combatants. It was a terrible fight. 
They bit each other and struck terrible 
blows and at times appeared to almost 
take the position of pugilists. While 
looking on I thought that a human pugil- 
ist would stand about as good a chance 
with them as a mouse with a mastiff.. 
Sometimes they would be striking and 
warding off terrible blows making fur and 
blood fly. Then they would close and 
wrestle and bite and roll on the ground 
roaring and growling continousty. They 
were about equally matched, and for a 
long time neither one appeared to gain 
any advantage. 1 never saw anything^ 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 87 

that looked near so savage as they did in 
their anger. Finally one of them appeared 
to be giving out, and having closed again 
he was thrown and lay still. Taking 
careful aim with my Winchester rifle at 
the victor, I fired. Bruin fell beside his 
vanquished companion, but quickly got 
up again and started for the timber. As 
he did not see us in the tree his head was 
noW' turned from me; and although I gave 
him two more shots, he ran away. His 
opponent meantime lying still did not 
appear to notice the shots, my companion 
taking my rifle fired at him and hit him. 
He jumped up and tried to run, but a 
second shot struck a vital spot, and he 
fell to rise no more. His skin was torn 
and gashed in many places, his nose was 
bleeding and he was a miserable looking 
object. The sod where they had been 
fighting w^as torn up in many places, and 
covered with blood and hair. As I had 
no s\'mpathy with bears, it w^as quite an 
entertaining sight to witness such a fight. 
Although I have heard of numerous 
cases where men have fought with and 
killed them with a sheath knife, when I 
attack one, I want a good rifle and a tree 



88 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

close at hand. Bears are very numerous 
all along the coast. They are not hunted 
much, as their skins are of but little value, 
and the hunting of them is attended with 
some danger. Although their disposition 
is to let you alone, if you let them alone, 
yet they will attack you if wounded. 
They will also fight bravely in defense of 
their young. Their flesh is of little value 
as food. They Hve on berries and roots 
and the salmon that die while ascending 
the creeks and rivers in the spawning 
season. The bear hunter must be a sfood 
shot, and possess a steady nerve. He 
must use a proper amount of caution, for, 
if careless, it is only a question of time, 
when instead of getting the bear, the 
bear will get him. 



CHAPTER XIIL 

One would naturally suppose that in 
this high latitude the winters would be 
very cold, yet it is not the case. The so 
called Japanese ocean current keeps the 
climate warm here on the coast. I never 
saw the mercury in the thermometer 
lower than twenty degrees below zero, 
and then only for a few days. It is not 
so cold as in New York and Northern 
Pennsylvania. But not so the interior. 
The coast range of mountains is an 
effectual barrier to the influence of the 
ocean current, and on and east of the 
mountains the cold is very intense. I 
shall speak of this hereafter. 

There are a great many glaciers here 
on the coast range of mountains. One 
of the most noted is the Muir glacier. It 
is a tremendous body of ice. This glacier 
empties its immense flow of ice into the 
so called Glacier Bay. It has a frontage 
on salt water of about three miles and a 
depth where the ice breaks off of at least 
three hundred feet. No one knows how 



90 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

far it extends back through the coast 
range, although it has been explored a 
distance of sixty miles or more. No end 
has been discovered. This vast body of 
ice is moving to the ocean at the rate of 
forty feet in twenty-four hours. It extends 
out over the sea until its unsupported mass 
is heavy enough to break itself off. Then 
it falls in large masses into the sea with a 
tremendous splash making waves which 
would swamp any ordinary small boat. 
These masses of broken ice are sometimes 
very large, and drifting to sea become 
dangerous to navagation. 

The sound caused by this falling ice is 
nearly continuous, and at the distance of a 
mile or so is not unlike artillery firing. 
It is a grand sight and one never to be 
forgotten. 

No intelligent being can look upon this 
scene, without feelings of reverence and 
admiration for the creator of all this 
wonderful grandeur. In it we recognize 
the works of the Almighty, the handiwork 
of Him who made and rules the planetary 
system so vast and far beyond our ability 
to comprehend, that we only see the begin- 
ning. And yet the All Powerful does not 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 9I 

forget us. All His mighty works con- 
tribute to our welfare. Although our 
poor, weak minds, may not always be 
able to see how the benetit is to come from 
some things; all have their use, and 
nothing is made in vain. The glaciers 
along the coast are numbt^red by the 
hundreds. The large majority of them 
belong to a class called dead glaciers. 
They do not move nor flow^ They are 
rapidly melting away. Every summer 
reduces their size. This must be due to 
a change in dimate, and indicates that the 
climate is much warmer now^than when 
those huge masses of ice were formed. 

To travel on their surface is very 
dangerous as they are broken up by deep 
crevasses in which no bottom can be seen. 
A great many years ago two Russian 
officers in exploring the surface of one, 
disappeared and were never heard of 
afterwards. 

Why should American tourists go to 
Europe for scenery? The mountain 
scenery of Alaska is unexcelled, and its 
glaciers are the grandest in the world. 
They are so pronounced by those who 
have visited Alaska and also Europe. 



92 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 



For convenience of access they are unex- 
celled. One can take the steamer at Port 
Townsend, Washington, and see all the 
coast scenery without leaving its deck. 
The route from Puget Sound to Alaska 
is island bound almost its entire length. 
There are hundreds of islands both large 
and small, protecting the ship from the 
ocean swells, and making the trip a smooth 
and pleasant one. Every year the route 
is becoming more popular for tourists, 
and there is no doubt but that time will 
eventually make it one of the most fash- 
ionable resorts on earth. 

Thus Alaska, although sparsely settled 
and little known, is destined to become 
eventually a great wealth producing coun- 
try. It has mines of gold and also of 
silver, for latel}' several good silver pros- 
pects have been found near Juneau, and 
more are being continually discovered. 
Like all new mines, some of them will prove 
to be passable, others will not produce 
sutficient to meet expenses and cannot be 
worked. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

In all new mining districts, by far the 
greater number of locations made by the 
mining prospectors, upon thorough investi- 
gation prove to be worthless. Other 
ledges or deposits produce barely enough 
to pay running expenses, and a few prove 
to be immensely rich. Besides paying all 
expenses incurred for extracting the metals 
from the ore, they pay the owners large 
profits. 

Then again there is a class of men in 
all new districts, who buy or locate claims 
in close proximity to the richer and more 
famous mines in the districts where they 
may chance to be. The real value of 
their claims is a matter of Httle conse- 
quence to them. The imaginary value of 
the claims is then represented by issuing 
stock. This is frequently sold on the 
merits of the rich mines adjoining. The 
wildcat schemers claiming that their ledges 
are the continuations of those already 



94 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

proven to be rich, and that they only 
require development to be equally pro- 
ductive. 

Having sold large amounts of stock, 
they then proceed to assess the stock- 
holders, on the plea of raising money for 
development, work, mining machinery, 
etc. Eventually the stockholders get tired 
of this continuous drain and an investiga- 
tion shows that they have been swindled. 
There is no redress, and they are poorer, 
but wiser men. These swindlers are very 
injurious to legitimate mining. By float- 
ing worthless stock they destroy the 
confidence of the public, making it much 
more diflicult for those, who have mines 
of real value, to raise funds to develop 
their mines and procure machinery to 
successfully operate with. 

Another disadvantage has been the 
absence of civil law in the Territory. For 
years it was impossible to procure a per- 
fect title to property, and mining men did 
not care to invest their money where there 
was no law and no protection for life or 
property. But fortunately now these 
difficulties are removed, and the operator 
can go ahead with a certainty of being 
protected in his rights. 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 95 

One great advantage enjoyed by Alaska 
people is an abundance of water power. 
The heavy rainfall, glacier ice, and winter 
snows, make many streams of pure, fresh 
water, suitable for any purpose. The 
great Treadwell mill is run by water, 
although it is also furnished with steam 
power. This is sometimes required in 
winter, when the frost is severe enough 
to cause a scarcity of water. The abund- 
ance of water and cheapness of fuel enable 
the miner to work ores much cheaper 
than it can be done in any other part of 
the United States. 

Living in Alaska is not so expensive as 
it is in Idaho or Colorado. This is due 
to cheap transportation by steamers from 
southern ports. Although they raise no 
vegetables worth mentioning, fish is very 
plentiful and costs but a trifle. The head- 
quarters for miners' supphes — for almost 
the whole Territory — at present, is 
Juneau City. It is likely to continue so, 
being centerall}^ situated and easy of 
access. Here, also, is the supply point 
for the Yukon miners; although, of late, 
the Northwest Trading Company have 
been shipping supplies direct from San 



96 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

Francisco to the mouth of the Yukon 
River. Here they again ship them by a 
smaller steamer up the river, meeting the 
miners near the head waters. This makes 
it much more convenient for miners to 
procure supplies than in former years. 
Then all supplies had to be packed from 
the coast by Indians to the head of navi- 
gation. For small boats on Lewis River 
the expense was much greater. 



CHAPTER XV. 

Having prospected and mined on the 
coast for several years with varied suc- 
cess, I determined to try my luck in the 
interior. One bright April morning found 
me in readiness for the trip. I started 
with only two companions. Several other 
parties were going also, and we stayed 
together as long as is was convenient. 
We were obliged to take supplies enough 
to last us six months, as we intended to 
remain during the summer, and at that 
date no supplies were coming up the 
-Yukon River. We employed Indians tc^ 
take us to the head of Day a Inlet, which 
is the starting point to go overland. We 
arrived safely with our stores at this 
place.- There is a portage to be made. 
It is • thirty-five miles from the head of 
Daya Inlet to the fresh water lakes, that 
(iinp(y themselves info the Lewis River. 
Further down the L^wis River unites 
with the Pelley River, forming the Yukbii^- 
' We employed Indians to pack our 
supplies- to the lakeife, and were oHiged tc5 



98 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

pay them about twelv^e dollars and fifty 
cents for one hundred pounds. The price 
was too much, but they had an under- 
standing with each other not to pack for 
less, and we had to pay it or do our own 
packing. This we could not do, as our 
outfits, tools and all were near a thousand 
pounds to the man. Those Indians are 
known as the Chilkoot tribe. They are 
very saucv, and although not actually 
hostile they do not like white men, and 
are extremely impudent. They will not 
allow other tribes to come there to pack, 
as they claim the trail, so they fix their 
owm prices, which are outrageous. Also 
their chiefs demand one dollar per head 
from every white man passing through 
their country. Very flattering to one's 
feelings to be obliged to pay a dirty, 
greasy, disgusting looking savage one 
dollar, demanded in a half threatening 
manner, for the privilege of passing 
through Uncle Sam's domain. 

Yet this tribe is very powerful, and to 
quarrel with them would make the trip 
impossible. We controlled our passion 
for peace and profit's sake. The natives 
were very lazy, and it was a hard job to 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 99 

^et them started. On some trifling pre- 
text they would dehiy us from day to day, 
and it was ten days from the time we 
landed till we Anally got off. Then the 
whole iranir turned out and carried all our 
goods over on one trip, taking three days 
to make the trip, traveling near twelve 
miles per day. Some of the stronger 
ones carried very heavy loads, as much 
as two hundred pounds; others one hun- 
dred, and boys and squaws carried light 
loads. 

Although there was a regular trail, the 
«now w^as still on the ground. In some 
places it was solid enough to bear us up, 
in other places it would break through 
-every few yards. Then it would have to 
be beaten sohd in order that the heavy 
packs might be carried over the trail. 
We went along the Chilcoot River about 
twenty-five miles to the summit of the 
coast range of mountains, and at the 
summit passed between two high peaks, 
and it became very steep. As we ascended 
the snow became deeper, but firm and 
solid, so that the heaviest packers could 
walk safely on its surface. Near the 
summit it became so steep that it was 



lOO THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

necessary to cut a stair-case in the hard 
ice-like snow, in order to make it safe for 
those carrying burdens. After gaining 
the summit there is a comparatively level 
plateau, or vast snow plain, extending 
many miles on the summit of the range. 
Standing in the center of this great snow 
field you can look in any direction, but 
you will see nothing except snow and sky. 
Not a bush nor shrub, not even a blade of 
grass can you see to relieve the eye of 
the glaring white and azure blue that 
meets the view at every point. Here it is 
necessary to wear goggles of colored 
glass, or some colored crape-like material 
over the face to prevent snow blindness. 
When we reached this field of snow it 
was midday, and the sun reflecting on the 
snow was almost unbearable. Although 
I had taken the precaution to partly cover 
my face, I was so severely sunburnt that 
a few days after the skin peeled off my 
entire face and the back of my hands. 
Travelino" a few miles further we came 
to the edge of the plateau, and could see 
the lakes and the timber on their borders... 
Below we could see far down the valley 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. lOI 

of the Lewis River, as it wended its way 
northward, w^e knew not where. 

From the edge of the plateau to the 
lakes it is about eight miles. The descent 
is quite steep in some places, but we 
accomplished it without accident. We 
paid off our Indians and camped on the 
banks of lake Linderman. We afterwards 
discovered, on opening our packs, that 
many of them had been opened by the 
natives, articles had been stolen and the 
packs again done up as we had done them 
at first. This was a source of much in- 
convenience to us. The things stolen 
were tools and articles that were almost 
indispensable to us; and we were in a 
land where they could not be replaced. 

The lakes were still covered with ice, 
although it was now the tenth of May. 
The timber where w^e were was not very 
good for boat building. So v;e concluded 
to make sleds and haul our goods by hand 
on the ice to some point further down, 
where we could get good timber. It 
required one day to build our sleds, and 
early next morning we started with our 
first loads. We found good timber on 
lake Bennet, twenty miles below^ and by 



I02 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

making several trips, and taking advantage- 
of the hardened ice in the early mornings, 
moved every thing there. We at once 
proceeded to saw lumber with whipsaws 
and build boats. We built the boats 
strong and large enough to carry all our 
supplies, made oars and got everything 
ready. Then we were obliged to wait 
two weeks for the ice to break up in the 
lakes before we could get through. At 
length the ice broke up; we embarked 
and worked our way northward through 
the masses of broken ice. We passed 
through lake Bennet to Mud lake, and 
found the outlet that formed the head of 
Lewis River. The country about those 
lakes consists of hiorh mountains of bare 
rock. Around their bases are some small 
valleys and flats covered with scrub timber, 
but at a slight elevation there is no vege- 
tation of any kind. It is a gray, barren, 
solid-looking rock. The rainfall here is 
very light, as the coast range of mountains 
appears to be the barrier to the rainfall 
and prevents the heavy rain clouds from 
the ocean from carrying their moisture 
inland. This accounts for the dry barren- 
ness of the lake district. 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. IO3 

The winters are very severe among 
those bleak, rocky mountains, as they are 
at a great elevation above sea level. 
There is but little game here; but the 
lakes are well supplied with fish. The 
different kinds in the lakes are white fish, 
pike and Arctic trout, and the rivers are 
well supplied with salmon in summer. 
The Arctic trout is a fish peculiar to the 
Arctic slope. It is a fine flavored fish, 
and bites greedily at a fly hook. The 
white fish, pike and salmon are caught in 
nets and traps or speared. 

In this lake region there is a small tribe 
of natives. They are very friendly to the 
whites, but will steal at every opportunity, 
and are very dirt}'. They are miserable 
wretches and have miserable homes. Their 
clothing consists principally of the skins of 
rabbits; also of the poorer skins of the 
more valuable animals. They sell their 
furs to the coast Indians and get very 
little for them. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

We entered the outlet of the lake and 
drifted down with the current. This was 
a very pleasant mode of traveling, riding 
with the current in a good boat, onl)- 
pulling oars when it became necessary to 
get steerage way. The sun was shining 
brightly, and just warm enough to make 
one lazy. The trees on the banks were 
leafing out and the birds gayly singing. 
There were several of the migratory 
species of birds that I recognized. The 
lark and robin redbreast, the whippoorwill 
and swallow. 

The kinds of timber became more 
plentiful and larger as w^e drifted down. 
They consisted of spruce, hemlock, Nor- 
way pine, Cottonwood, balm of Gilead, 
alder, willow and some other varieties of 
shrubbery, with which I was not ac- 
quainted. 

We were oblighed to keep a good 
lookout for rapids or falls. This drifting 
down was really quite pleasant; but I 
could not avoid the thought that the 



I06 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

drifting up part of the business on the 
return trip in the fall would not be so 
pleasant. The river was low, and w^e 
occasionally stopped at the mouths of 
incoming streams, and taking out a pick, 
shovel and gold pan would tr}^ the gravel 
to see if we could raise a color of gold. 
This w^e did in several places, and found 
that there was gold in the country. This 
was encouraging, and, as prospectors 
always have a feeling that it is richer 
ahead, w^e kept on. 

We drifted along until the evening of 
our first day after entering the river, 
when we came to a canyon. Here the 
river contracted to a narrow gorge. The 
walls are perpendicular on both sides — 
about one hundred feet above the surface 
of the water. The canyon is about a mile 
in length. We camped on the river bank 
at the upper end of this canyon, and walk- 
ing down its bank examined it carefully 
to see if we could run through with our 
boats. We saw that to run through 
would be attended with some danger, and 
that it would be impossible with our heavy 
loaded boats. The water runs through 
this canyon with tremendous velocity, and 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. I07 

in places forms breakers which surge up 
and down so rough that a heavy laden 
boat would be sure to be swamped. Also 
it would be necessary to be very careful 
not to strike the wrW rock; for the force 
of the boat running at such a rate would 
undoubtedly break the boat. We con- 
cluded to carry our stores over the hill to 
the lower end of the canyon, where we 
could land and take them on below, and 
then run through with the empty boat. 

The next day, having carried our sup- 
plies down, we got in and pushed off. I 
must confess I felt a little shaky, and as 
we got into those tremendous boiling 
breakers I felt decidedly uneasy. At 
every plunge of the boat the water came 
rolHng in over the sides. We w^ere trav- 
eling at railway speed; we were half 
through and the boat was half full of 
water. But fortunately we did not take 
water so fast on the lower end of the run. 
Just as we made the shore below our 
boat filled to the top of the crunwale. We 
quickly jumped out, which, of course, 
lightened the boat and we were safe once 
more. The other boats had about the 
same experience, and one filled entirely. 



I08 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

The boat sank only to the top of the 
gunwale, and the men clung to the top of 
the boat. We pushed out with our boat 
and pulled them in. 

We reloaded our goods and started 
again. We only traveled about three 
miles until we came to a waterfall. There 
we had to unload and portage the boat 
and every thing about one hundred yards. 
We handled the boats by laying down 
skids and drawing the boats over them. 

All aboard again; and it was all plain 
sailing. There were some rapids, but no 
more falls on the river, and no more 
portages to make for a distance of more 
than two thousand miles, or to the river's 
mouth. 

We floated lazily down the river, the 
climate becoming warmer and vegetation 
more rank and plentiful. We also began 
to see game, and finally drifted out of the 
river into a large lake of fresh water. 
This lake was about sixty miles long by 
twenty in width. Its banks, like those of 
the lakes above, are mountains of rock; 
bleak, gray and forbidding in appearance, 
vegetation growing only near the water's 
edge. 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. IO9 

In this lake are several small, rocky 
islands. There geese, ducks and gulls 
had made their nests, and we got quite a 
lot of their eggs, The}^ are not so pala- 
table as hens' eggs, but will do very well 
in the absence of a better article. We 
passed through the lake and again entered 
the river. The weather remained pleas- 
ant; the days were warm and fine, and 
the nights cool, just right for sleeping. 

We stopped occasionally to prospect 
and hunt, as we were in a game country. 
There were moose, caribou and mountain 
sheep. There was gold on the river 
bars, and some fair prospects; but the 
river was rising rapidly every day, cover- 
ing up the level of the gold deposits. 
This was caused by the melting of snow 
in the mountains, and we knew that the 
water would not fall again for tw^o months. 
We could not find any high bars, so we 
kept on down. We passed through a 
country that appeared to be rich in coal. 
A number of veins of this fuel cropped 
out from the river banks, which appeared 
to be high mountains of clay of a blueish 
color. Coal was plenty here, but no 
gold. 



CHAPTER XVTI. 

In this clay deposit were numerous 
bones of animals that must have lived 
there ages ago. Among these bones we 
recognized what we supposed to be the 
bones of the mammoth, old tusks of ivory, 
cracked and black with age, also smaller, 
short, thick-looking tusks, that might 
have been the bones of a rhinoceros. 
Some of these were very large. Un- 
doubtedly the bones were the bones of 
animals that were larger than any animals 
on the earth to day. We passed on 
through this coal formation until we came 
to the mouth of the Pelley River. There 
the junction of the Lewis and Pelley 
Rivers forms the Yukon. We had passed 
the Hoody Link River and the Big and 
Little Salmon Rivers higher up. 

Now we were drifting on the Yukon. 
We came to a slate formation, indicative 
of precious metals, and again commenced 
prospecting for gold. We would land, 
and while some would hunt others would 
prospect. We found plenty of game, but 



112 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

little gold. We kept on drifting down, 
passed the mouth of White River and 
came to the Stuart River. We decided 

to go no further but ascend the Stuart 
River. 

This we would be obliged to descend 
agfain before cold weather, for at that date 
there were no supplies in the country', 
except what the miner carried and some 
game, and the game could not be relied 
on. A district will be abounding with 
game one season, the next probably not a 
single animal can be found. The country 
is large, and the animals keep moving 
and getting away from places where they 
have been hunted. The Indians over- 
come this difficulty by following up the 
game, but a miner cannot do that and 
mine too. 

Here we saw quite a lot of natives. 
They are a fine race, cleanly and honest, 
and an exception to the general Indian 
character. We were a curiosity to them, 
many of them having never seen a white 
man before. They were friendly and 
brought us venison. They are tall and 
Straight, and have regular features. They 
are truthful and virtuous in every respect-. 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. II 3 

They wanted to trade with us. We traded 
a little with them; but our stock of goods 
for trading purposes was light, as we 
came to mine not to trade. Their honesty 
and good, behavior are attributed to the 
teachings of a missionary, who went there 
and taught them many years ago. This 
missionary went among them alone, before 
they had any opportunity to become 
debauched. His teachings have been the 
cause of their prosperity. I tried to find 
out the name of this noble minded man, 
that I might put it before the public, but 
I did not succeed, as the natives only 
called him father. We could make caches 
of provisions at any place in the territorv 
inhabited by this tribe — only securing 
things against wild animals by making 
scaffoldings high up from the ground. 
On our return we would find all things 
safe, although we could see where they 
had camped at times right beside our 
caches. 

Among those Indians we found a half 
breed Russian who could talk a Hitle 
English. He acted as interpreter. He 
told us he had come from a Russian set- 
tlement down near the mouth of the 



114 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

Yukon River. He had married one of 
their daughters and intended to remain 
among them. But this tribe is an excep- 
tion, there being no other Indians like 
them in all Alaska. 

There was only one thing in their mode 
of Hfe that I did not like. They made 
slaves of their females, making them do 
all the heavy and menial labor. They are 
a migratory tribe. They follow the game 
in winter, but in summer they camp along 
the rivers and hsh. 

Their canoes are made of birch bark, 
sewed together with a small, tough, string- 
like root, which they get from the ground. 
These canoes are very light, and are 
made of different sizes. The larger ones 
will carry about a ton, the small ones one 
man. They are very neatly constructed 
and quite handsome. 

Their clothing in summer consists of 
the tanned skins of the caribou and moose. 
In winter they dress in the furs of the fox, 
lynx, otter, marten, beaver and bear. 

Having hghtened our boats by caching 
some of our provisions, we commenced 
ascending the Stuart River. The water 
was high, and rising every day. It made 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. II5 

the work much harder, as the current 
was stronger and we were obliged to 
keep close in shore, so that we could 
reach bottom with our poles. Some times 
we would take a line ashore and tow, one 
man remaining in the boat to steer. It 
was hard and slow work. 

The Stuart River valley is, in places, 
fifteen or more miles in width, and again 
the mountains will close it in to two or 
three miles. The valley is covered with 
timber, the varieties being the same as I 
have previously described. The moun- 
tains bordering this valley are not high. 
They are covered with moss and short 
grass, and in places small groves of 
shrubbery. In ascending the river we 
killed several moose — a welcome addition 
to our larder. The flesh of the moose is 
almost, if not fully, equal to beef. A 
full grown, fat moose will make eight or 
nine hundred pounds of excellent meat. 

In many places the high water was 
cutting in under the river banks, which 
were principally of sand. The sand was 
frozen, for in this high latitude the ground 
is frozen all the year — no one knows 
how deep. The miners have sunk holes 



Il6 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

in search of gold thirty feet in depth and 
it was still frozen. In the summer it 
thaws out two or three feet at the top, 
but freezes again in the winter. The 
river water has a temperature much 
warmer than the frozen river banks, and 
the current rushing against the banks 
thaws out and undermines great blocks 
of it. It often washes away groves of 
timber. In this manner those trees and 
blocks of frozen surface fall into the river,, 
giving but little warning. 

And now the reader can plainly see 
wherein Hes the danger in ascending the 
stream. We had some narrow escapes, 
and one party lost their entire outfit, boat 
and all, by a fall of land and timber. 
Fortunately no one were hurt. We were 
then obliged to divide our stores with 
them and assist them to build another 
boat. In this manner we toiled and tugged, 
pulled and poled, but had so many diffi- 
culties to contend with that our progress 
was slow. However we kept at it late 
and early, and by the fourth of July we 
had ascended about one hundred miles. 
The river had commenced falling, and 
from that time on lowered rapidly. As 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. II7 

the river bars became dry we found some 
gold. We built rockers and went to work 
rocking. The result was twenty-five 
dollars per day to the man. We kept on 
rocking. We also prospected along the 
side streams in the vicinity, but found 
nothing of any value. The gold on the 
river bars was very fine and limited in 
extent. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

Two-thirds of our party had weakened 
and turned back, leaving but seven of us. 
As the bar diggings were not satisfying 
us we decided to give our attention 
entirely to prospecting. We went some 
further up the river, prospecting as we 
went along, also prospecting side streams. 
We found coarse gold in several places; 
but it was slow work to sink holes, the 
ground being frozen so hard. We also 
took trips on foot through the surrounding 
country. 

The chmate here in summer is very 
dry, and the days are even hot. From 
the middle of June until the middle of 
July there is no night. I plainly saw the 
sun shining on the mountain at twelve 
o'clock at night. It is very proper that 
it should be so, for this is called the land 
of the midnight sun. 

This is a good fur country; reasonably 
good for moose, and as usual, more bear 
than we wanted. One morning a com- 
panion and myself went to a small stream 



I20 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

that emptied into the river near our camp 
to prospect. We had no arms with us — 
nothing but a pick, shovel, and gold pan. 
I was carrying the shovel and pan and 
walking ahead. We came to an old game 
trail that w^ould apparently lead us up the 
creek, so we followed it. In places it 
was covered with brush and partly hidden. 
As we w^ere passing through one of those 
places a monstrous brown bear rose up 
suddenly in the trail. He was so close 
that I could almost touch him, and I was 
very much afraid that he would touch me. 
He stood upright on his hind feet in a 
kind of John L. Sullivan position, and 
snorted at me. I was afraid to turn for 
fear he would attack me behind; and I 
think the bear had the same feeling 
toward me. I had no arms; not even a 
knife. Taking my gold pan in one hand 
and my shovel in the other, I made music 
for him. He snorted again and backed 
off a few oteps slowly, and finally clearing 
the trail with a bound he ran away at a 
terrible pace. I hardly know who was 
scared the most, the bear or myself. 

Although we had done considerable 
prospecting we found nothing to repay 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 121 

our time and labor. Having a curiosity 
to get a bird's eye view of the country, I 
took a trip one day alone to the summit 
of the highest peak that I could see in 
that locality. Expecting to return the 
same day I only carried a small piece of 
bread with me for lunch. Before I arrived 
at the base of the mountain I found that 
it was fully twice the distance from camp 
that I had calculated on. I commenced 
the ascent, which was not steep at start- 
ing, but gradually became so as I climbed. 
The mountain was also higher than I had 
anticipated. It was four o'clock when I 
sat down to rest on its summit. 

A kind of short, hard grass grew on its 
slopes, but in places the grass was replaced 
with moss. I believe it was the kind that 
the reindeer feeds on. .There were also 
clumps of shrubbery and a great many 
kinds of wild flowers; some of them very 
beautiful. The view from the summit 
was grand in its immense extent, but not 
inspiring. It was lonesome in the extreme. 
As far as the eye could see in every 
direction, it was a vast solitude. Not a 
sound could I hear on the summit of that 
mountain; not even the twittering of a 



122 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

bird, nor the hum of a bee. The animal 
life that exists in this country appears to 
live only in the valleys, and the country 
is so cold that nothing can Hve in winter. 
But little food is produced in this far 
northern region, so that no great amount 
of birds and beasts can find support here. 
Excepting the shrubs and grass that feeds 
the moose and reindeer there is little feed 
for anything, and the moose and caribou, 
or reindeer, confine themselves to the 
river bottoms. The rolling hill country 
is a land of desolation. Nothing breaks 
the stillness of this vast territory; no 
animal nor bird in sight, and not a sound 
to be heard. I cannot describe the feeling 
it creates — one of extreme loneliness in 
one who witnesses it. Although it was 
getting late, about six o'clock — as the 
days then were twenty-four hours long — 
I was not afraid of being caught in the 
dark. I had noticed from the summit a 
gulch that lay to the eastward. I decided 
to return that way. We were short of 
fresh provisions, and as there was timber 
in the gulch I thought I might get a 
moose or caribou. 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 1 23 

To reach the gulch it was necessary to 
descend farther eastward than where I 
came up. It did not take long to get 
down, and I was rewarded by seeing 
game signs. Passing along quietly through 
the timber, I found some fresh tracks and 
followed them. I had not gone far when 
I saw two caribou, a cow and her calf, 
feeding in a clump of willow brush. 
Aiming at the cow I fired and killed her 
where she stood. The calf became 
frightened and ran. I fired and brought 
it down, but it jumped up and ran again. 
I knew it would not go far, so drawing 
my knife I bled the cow and then followed 
the calf. It traveled faster and farther 
than I thought it would. How^ever I 
found, shot, and quartering it, hung it up 
in a tree to keep it safe from bear or 
lynx. This took some time. I had been 
gone from the cow about three hours. I 
felt quite hungry, so I made a fire and 
roasted some ot the meat. Having satis- 
fied my hunger I went back to the cow, 
which was more than two miles distant. 
When I got near I heard growling. I 
knew that bears had smelt the blood and 
were eating my caribou. Crawling quietly 



124 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

up I saw a large cinnamon bear and two 
half grown cubs. They were having a 
fine feast at my expense. I looked for. a. 
tree to climb in case my shot was not 
fatal. I did not fear the cubs, but I knew 
the mother would fight to the last. 

There was no suitable tree standing 
near, but a tree had fallen, lodging on a 
high rock. If close pressed, by running 
up this tree I could gain the rock; and 
the only way to gain it was by the tree 
trunk. So getting as close as I could 
safely I fired. She fell, rolled over, and 
jumping up stood up and clawed the air. 
Another shot and the beast went down 
again. This time she saw me when I 
fired, and although mortally wounded, 
jumped up and came rushing furiously 
at me. My rifle was a Winchester of the 
most approved pattern. Pumping from 
the magazine I fired rapidly, planting 
every shot in the big brute's body, some 
times knocking it down and at others only 
checking her progress. It was quite a 
noisy affair, the old bear roaring with pain 
and the cubs growHng and snarling. The 
bear kept coming and I kept firing. She 
was getting too close for comfort. I had 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 1 25 

pumped and fired my last shot from the 
magazine. As I was wearing moccasins 
I was sure footed. Running to the log, 
which was near by, I leaped upon it and 
gained the rock. The brute came to the 
log. I was replenishing my magazine, 
which I quickly did, and w^as just going 
to fire again when she stopped. She was 
bleeding from a number of w^ounds, and 
quite a stream was running from her 
mouth. Her fore feet were on the log 
and she was swinging to and fro. She 
had quit growling, when suddenly a great 
crimson stream poured from her mouth 
and she fell dead. I then turned my 
attention to the cubs. They had run up 
and were howling and smelling of the 
body. A few shots quieted them. They 
had spoiled quite a lot of the caribou. I 
cut up what was good, hung it up and 
went to camp to get help to pack in the 
game. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

We were now beginning to think of 
our return. They had all been gone for 
a month, except my party of seven. As 
we would be much lighter on the return, 
not carrying tools, nor so much provision, 
we decided to build two lighter boats, one 
for three and one for four. The timber 
was good where we w^ere camped, so we 
commenced building at once, and in a few 
days completed two strong, light and well 
shaped crafts. 

We embarked and went to the mouth 
of the river, w^here we had cached the 
supplies for our return, only to find the 
most of the provisions destroyed by fire. 
The fire had got out from the camp fires 
of the men who had gone before, and 
had destroyed fully two-thirds of the pro- 
visions and badly damaged the remainder. 
The situation was unpleasant. It was 
eight hundred miles to the nearest sup- 
plies, the travehng being mostly up the 
river. We had a strong current to contend 
with, but having a good supply of dried 



128 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

caribou we thought we could make the 
trip. We w^orked hard ever^^ day, start- 
ing early, pulling, poling and towing; only 
stopping when tired and in need of rest 
and refreshments. 

We were now beginning to have nights, 
as the nicrhts in winter in that land increase 
in length, until like the day in summer, it 
is all night. The river was almost as 
high as when we w^ere drifting down, 
which I afterwards found was caused by 
heavy rains in the coast range. This 
was unfortunate for us, as the current is 
much stronger when the river is high. 
The parties ahead of us had done us a 
great deal of injury in being so careless 
with their camp lires. They had not only 
burnt our provisions, but had allowed 
their fires to get out all the way up the 
river. This had scared away the game; 
and where there was game when we 
came down, and we expected to get some 
when going back, there was not a track 
to be seen. We caught some fish, which 
was a great help to us; but w^e could not 
fish and travel at the same time. Only 
•one variety w^ould bite a hook, the Arctic 
trout, and they being small it required a 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. I 29 

great deal of fishing to amount to any- 
thing. 

When we got to Pelley River we found 
our provisions were going so fast that 
unless we got some game we should die 
of starvation before reaching the coast. 
We decided to stop and hunt one da}'. 
We scattered out in different directions, 
but the big game had all left. We got 
nothing but a few fool hens, a kind of 
grouse, and two small rabbits. We then 
decided to put ourselves on rations, which 
we did, and also traveled from sunrise to 
sunset. 

The days were yet twenty hours long, 
but were shortening very rapidly. We 
found we could not stand this, so we 
shortened our working hours. We also 
worked the smaller boat with two men 
and the larger with three, and kept a 
hunter out on each side of the river to 
pick up anything that could be used for 
food. In this manner we accomplished 
five Imndred miles. There were three 
hundred more before we could expect 
relief. Our provisions had entirely given 
out, with the exception of a little tea and 
a small sack of salt. The weather was 



130 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

also growing cold. It was now late in 
September, and in this high latitude the 
rivers freeze in October. A miserable 
situation — no food, no tobacco, our cloth- 
ing almost worn out. Every night ap- 
peared to be colder than the preceding 
one, yet we kept ahead, determined to do 
our best. Sometimes we would get a 
rabbit or a grouse, which we would care- 
fully divide. We were getting weaker 
every day, and yet all of us were kind 
and pleasant to each other. Sometimes 
we would hear a complaint against the 
careless parties, who, having first destroyed 
our provisions, through further careless 
actions had driven the game from our 
route. 

We could still, at times, catch a few 
fish, but the further up we got the harder 
they were to catch. It made our hands 
very cold to handle the wet oars and poles 
in the boat. I cut a piece of blanket 
and made a pair of mittens. All the rest 
followed suit. They were a great benefit. 
Although they would get wet they still 
kept our hands warm. We accomplished 
another hundred miles. 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 13I 

Here some of the men wanted to leave 
the boats and travel afoot to the coast. 
To this I strongly objected. I argued 
with them a long time, pointing out the 
■danger attending the attempt. The 
mountains were covered with snow; it 
was getting deeper every day. The cold 
was increasing, and the country they 
would be obliged to travel through was 
an unknown wilderness, of brush, swamps 
and mountains. There would be swift 
mountain streams to cross. In their weak- 
ened condition they could not carry much 
bedding, while, if they stayed with the 
boat, they at least had a good bed. But 
all to no purpose — I argued in vain. 
Three was determined to go. The other 
three believed as I did, and stayed with 
the boat. They left us the following 
morning, taking with them a shot gun, 
one rifle, and a Httle salt. Each one 
•carried a blanket. We parted with them 
sorrowfully, for I felt almost certain that 
they would never get through. The 
poor fellows have never been heard of 
since. There were but four of us now, 
so we only took one boat. I can hardlv 
tell how we got along. We traveled all 



132 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

our meager strength would allew, intend- 
ing to stick to the boat, and if the river 
froze up then we would travel afoot. 
One day as we were boating along I saw 
something swimming near the opposite 
shore. It had started to cross, not having 
seen us. We kept quiet, and it came 
close to us. It proved to be a lynx, a 
large, fat fellow. We killed him and had 
a feast at once, w^ith meat enough left for 
several days. At length we came to the 
canyon. 

As I spoke of passing it on our down- 
ward trip, it is not necessary to describe 
it now. Here we were obliged to portage 
the boat a distance of near one mile. 
Weak as we were from hunger, this was 
a hard job. We traveled from the canyon 
to the tirst lake in two days. Now there 
would be at least no more current to 
contend with. We were on the lakes, 
but the W'ind was blowing, and continued 
to blow so hard we could not travel. We 
had not eaten any thing whatever for 
three days, and but little before since we 
got the lynx. I took my rifle and started 
or the timber, though so weak I could 
hardlv walk. One of the others also- 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 1 33 

^went hunting and the other two lay down. 
I walked around slowly through the tim- 
ber. At times I would get so faint that I 
would have to sit down. What a terrible 
craving and knawing at the pit of my 
stomach. I could not see even a little 
bird. I traveled slowly on through the 
timber. Sometimes I imagined that I saw 
game, and once I fired at a supposed 
rabbit. The rabbit did not move. I fired 
again. No move. I went up closer and 
saw that I had been deceived. It was a 
root; and as it was not an eatable root I 
quit firing at it. I kept on hunting, all to 
no purpose. There was no game to find. 
I came to an old, dry, half rotten tree. I 
started a fire, and laying down some 
bark lay down to rest by the fire. I 
dreamed that I was in a large city. I was 
looking at the window of a restaurant or 
bakery, and could see piles of bread, 
pies and cakes. 1 went in and sat down 
to a well furnished table and was eating. 
How long I was eating I did not know, 
but I could not satisfy myself. It did not 
do me any good. The more I ate the 
more I wanted to eat. When I awoke it 
was dark. 



134 THIRTEEN YEARS IN AI.ASKA. 

The fire in the old tree had burned low 
and I was quite chilly. I did not think I 
could find my way to camp in the dark^ 
so I replenished the fire and sat there 
studying on what it was best to do. I 
knew that if we did not get something 
soon to strengthen us, some, if not alU 
would die. 

All at once an idea came to me. I 
could hardly wait till daylight. As soon 
as gray dawn appeared I went back ta 
camp. Bringing out three fox skins that 
I had traded for with Indians, I picked 
and singed the fur off. They were valu^ 
able skins. One of them, that of a black 
fox, was a rare specimen, and was valued 
at one hundred and fifty dollars. The 
other two were silver grey, also valuable 
specimens worth seventy-five dollars 
apiece. The total value of the three skins 
was three hundred dollars. It was all the 
same. Had they been worth three thous^ 
and, instead of three hundred, they must 
go into the pot after being picked, singed 
and scraped until clean. 

I scalded them in hot water and scraped 
them. I then cut them fine and boiled 
them quite a while, putting in some salt. 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. I 35 

After a good deal of cooking they became 
quite tender, and tasted much better than 
I thought they would. 

While I was doing this the others were 
yet in bed. I called them out and we 
divided the stew amongst us. We were 
strengthened at least for a few days more. 
The boys often afterwards laughed about 
the inglorious end of those high toned fox 
skins. I sometimes answered with the 
assertion, that had it not been for my fox 
skin stew they would still be sleeping on 
the shores of lake Bennett. 

The wind calmed down, we launched 
the boat and traveled two days. Our 
stew had given out and we were hungry 
again. I was requested by the others to 
walk along the shore in quest of game, 
as I was the most successful. We had 
only one shot gun. The rifles were not 
fit to use in killing small game; and the 
game was small indeed. Sometimes a 
rabbit or grouse would fortunately come 
in m}^ path, but generally nothing but 
little red squirrels and little birds. But 
the little birds and squirrels were all very 
scarce; and although I was the strongest 
of the part}^ I was too weak from hunger 



136 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

to get over much ground. However I 
did my best. 

We were getting nearer the coast every 
day, and I began to feel encouraged and 
so did the others. I once brought in a 
few mice, ahhough I could not eat them. 
I thought some of the others might want 
to try them. They did, and called .them 
good. 

The weather became several degrees 
colder, the lakes froze over, and boat 
traveling was at an end. However we 
were close to the portage. The cold was 
terrible on us. We had to be careful not 
to freeze our hands and feet. The cold 
wind blew fiercely through our worn and 
ragged clothing. We staggered wearily 
along the lake shore for three days and 
reached the head of the lakes, and the end 
of the portage trail. 

Now if we could reach the summit of 
the portage the balance of the trip to the 
coast would be down grade; only thirty- 
five miles further and we would be safe. 
But the first ten or twelve miles were all 
hard climbing. Again we were entirely 
destitute. Not a morsel of food. We 
were afraid to start in our starved condi- 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 1 37 

tion. We decided to hunt one day and 
try to get some kind of a meal before 
starting. All four of us went out. We 
shot some small squirrels which did not 
do us much good. During the day myself 
and one of the others had gone into the 
timber up a small stream; he on one side 
of the stream and I on the other. Sud- 
denly I heard a cry like the voice of a 
child crying. I listened and heard it 
again. I called to my partner, who came 
across to w^here I was. Again we heard 
the cry, this time louder than before. It 
was the cry of a lynx. We quickly went 
in the direction of the sound. The sound 
continued, and we traveled as fast as pos- 
sible for fear that the animal might move 
and we should lose him. We came upon 
them (there were two of them, mates) in 
traveling about a mile. On seeing us 
they run up a tree. A shot apiece settled 
them, and we went back to camp joyfully, 
loaded with meat. But before we went 
we made a fire and satisfied our hunger, 
or partly satisfied it; for we had been 
starved so long that we did not dare to 
eat all we wanted to. 



138 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

Having returned to camp we rested and 
fed up two days, and then felt strong 
enough to climb the mountain. We filled 
our pockets with cold roasted meat and 
started. Although we suffered consider- 
able from cold, we got through without 
accident. We found a newly established 
trading post on the coast and our troubles 
were over. 



CHAPTER XX. 

We then inquired for the men who had 
left us far below on the river. There 
were no tidings of them. If the}^ had got 
through at all here would most likely be 
the point at which they would arrive. 
The snow was falling every day in the 
mountains, yet I was determined to make 
an effort to assist them. Only one of my 
companions would go with me. We 
replenished our clothing, dressing warmly 
for the trip — partly in furs. 1 hired two 
stout Indians and packed them with light 
loads of provisions, a couple of bottles of 
brandy, potted extract of beef, and such 
other things as would be needed. We 
started for the Chilcoot Pass, thinking 
that probably we might find them in that 
direction. This was the pass through 
which they intended to come. We trav- 
eled on an Indian trail, although it was 
mostly covered wath snow. We traveled 
several days and came to the pass, near- 
one hundred miles from the coast. The 
Indians stopped and would go no further. 



140 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

I wanted to go on through the pass. They 
would not go. Their wages were to be 
two dollars per day. I offered to give 
them five dollars per day if they would 
keep on. They would not go. I knew 
we could not go without them, for we 
could not carry enough to be of any 
benefit to the men if we did find them. 
I then told them if they would only go to 
the north side of the pass, where I could 
see down the north slope, I would then 
return and give them five dollars per day. 
Also if we found the men, and they helped 
us all they could to get them out, I would 
give them the same pay all the way back 
and make them a present of ten good 
blankets. The Indians like blankets. 
They talked a while by themselves, but 
finally said that the pass was dangerous; 
that it was a glacier full of deep crevasses; 
that the crevasses were now hid by the 
falling snow, and we should lose our lives 
if we attempted it. They would not go. 
We had to give it up and leave the poor 
fellows to their fate, whatever that may 
have been. I got a long pole and finding 
a high knoll of loose rocks in a conspicu- 
ous place, fastened a red blanket firmly to 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. I4I 

the pole, and planted the pole firmly in 
the rocks. We then took out supplies 
just enough to carry us back and cached 
the balance at the base of the pole, cover- 
ing it with rocks to secure it against 
animals. I then scraped the bark clean 
from the pole and wrote directions on it. 
This signal and cache were right in the 
path and they could not get by without 
seeing them. That was all we could do. 

We returned to salt water, hired Indians 
to take us to Juneau in a canoe, and 
settled down for the winter. 

No traces have ever been found of 
those three men, although years have 
come and gone since. 



CHAPTER XXL 

Such is the life of the frontiersman. 
He generally starts early in Hfe — a mere 
boy — and often from an eastern home. 
His first experience will be in some of 
the near territories, where, if he engages 
in mining and is successful, he may return 
to his home with w^ealth, and, perhaps, 
settle down as a farmer or business man. 
He sees men making fortunes and pursu- 
ing this course; he thinks he will acquire 
one also. He is only waiting for a stroke 
of fortune. Years pass by and he does 
not succeed in getting it. He becomes a 
prospector for precious metals. He is 
unfortunate and does not strike any thing 
of value. He goes farther west, thinking 
that in a new country his luck may 
change. More years pass by, and he is 
still a poor prospector. His hopes are 
aroused by every new excitement. All 
in vain. Fortune will not smile upon him. 
Perhaps he succeeds in accumulating a 
small fortune. He returns home with 
that, thinking he will settle down and be 



144 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

contented, but he is disappointed. The 
friends of his youth have gone, or changed. 
They are no longer boys and gils, but 
men and women with families. Many of 
his old associates are roaming the west, 
as he did, in search of fortune, and the 
old home is not what it used to be. His 
old familiar land marks only bring up sad 
memories of the past. He is lonesome 
and unhappy, and he again returns to the 
frontier; this time with no intention of 
ever returning. He lives his life out on 
the frontier, braving every danger for the 
sake of excitement. And when his end 
comes he is rudely buried by honest 
hands; often in a grave that is never 
again visited by a white man. No tomb- 
stone marks his resting place; no flowers 
grow upon his grave. But when the end 
of time comes he will be counted as good, 
or better, than those who have amassed 
millions by schemes which rob the poor 
and fill the world with miser3^ 

On the coast I saw some of the parties 
who had preceded us in coming from the 
interior, and who, through their criminal 
carelessness, had destroyed our provisions 
and driven off the game by allowing their 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. I45 

camp fires to get out in all directions. I 
could not refrain from telling them of the 
consequences of their careless conduct. I 
considered them to blame not only for our 
sufferings and losses, but I also believed 
them to be the cause of the loss of our 
three unfortunate companions. Some of 
them spoke of it with feelings of regret, 
but others only laughed brutishly. But 
those who laughed were not miners. 
They were creatures from the slums of 
cities whose modes of Hfe had hardened 
their feelings. Such a man as this is not 
the kind of a man who will stand up 
bravely in the days of danger and hard- 
ship. He is the first to give up; the first 
to become a burden to his less preten- 
tious companions. You can hear him 
with his feet elevated near a bar-room 
stove, bombastic and loud mouthed, re- 
counting his deeds of bravery. But he 
must stop sometimes to take another dose 
of rot-gut whiskey to renew his courage; 
for here is where his deeds of bravery 
are done, at least all he ever does. 

He sometimes mingles in a bar-room 
fight. His courage there is great, and 
especially so if he can find a small, weak 
or helplessly intoxicated man, with whoni 



146 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

he can pick a quarrel. He will beat, kick 
and abuse him beyond description. He 
is so brave that, if others do not interfere, 
he may beat the poor, helpless creature 
to death. He has done a brave thing, 
and why not? Has he not been drinking 
Avhiskey all day? And if whiske}^ is not 
good to raise the courage in a ruffian I 
would like to know what it is good for. 
There is only one improvement he could 
make that would make him a still greater 
hero. He might take another drink and 
then go home and whip his wife or his 
mother. Of this class of men are those 
who laughed w^hen I informed them of 
the consequences of their criminal neglect. 
Now what is such a man in the presence 
of hardship or real danger? If there is 
hard labor to do he feigns sickness, and 
remains sick until it is done. If danger 
from crossing rivers he must have the 
safest place. If danger from Indians he 
brings up the rear, unless he fears an 
attack from that direction. Then he gets 
in the middle, and, if any real fighting 
occurs, he is so cowardly that he cannot 
fight. If food is scarce he must have his 
full supply. No self-denial there; no 
sympathy for an unfortunate comrade. 



THIRTEEN VEARS IN ALASKA. I47 

If a fellow miner meets with an accident 
•and is crippled, he will not assist. If a 
comrade loses his provisions this creature 
will spare him nothing, although others in 
the party will divide. But enough of such 
characters. 

Now who is the man who does the 
work? Who meets and overcomes the 
■dangers? He is the quiet, unassuming 
man. He never talks of his great deeds. 
In fact he hardly appears to know that he 
has done any thing extraordinary. If you 
want to find him do not look for him in 
the bar room. If he is not busy mining 
or prospecting then look in the workshop; 
or, if it is Sunday, go to church. There 
is where you will meet the right kind of 
a man. He also attends the meetings of 
temperance societies and literary societies. 
These are the men to choose for compan- 
ions on hard and dangerous trips. They 
can be reHed on. If you are sick they 
will do all they can to assist you. In the 
face of danger they do not shirk, but 
meet every thing bravely, quietly and 
with determination. They do not exult 
over a fallen foe. It is sad to think that 
we are ever obliged to take the life of a 



148 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

human being, even if it is only a low^ 
degraded savage; but we sometimes must 
in defense of our own lives. 

These men are not all members of the 
church, although some are, but all are 
men of good morals. If there is labor ta 
be done all are willing and prompt. If 
food is scarce all are self-denying. They 
are on the best of terms with each other. 
There is no profane language, nor coarse^ 
brutal jokes. In the evenings the conver- 
sation around the camp fire is pleasant 
and interesting. And although gruff in 
their manners, they are honest. Many of 
them remember their Creator, and return 
thanks to Him nightly on retiring, for His 
never ceasing mercies. These are the 
men who explore the frontiers and pave 
the way for the future greatness of the 
country. 

Although the large majorit}- of front- 
iersmen are such as I have just described,, 
there are enough of the other class to do 
much harm. They debauch and antaga- 
nize the natives, thus causing an almost 
continual warfare wherever the two races 
meet. God have mercy on them, for 
they have much to answer for. 



CHAPTER XXI] 

I passed an uneventful winter at Juneau 
and vicinity, part of the time in the employ 
of the Alaska Mill & Mining Company. I 
was not satisfied with my interior trip ; or, 
in other words, I wanted to return and 
try again. I believed and believe yet 
that there is gold in plenty to be discovered 
there, if one is only fortunate enough to 
find it. The gold-bearing parts of that 
country are very large. In fact there 
is a little gold in almost any place you 
may try. It was fine, or what miners 
term river bar gold. Occasionally a little 
of the coarse order is found in the small 
streams. But the ground being eternally 
frozen makes it hard to sink to bed-rock; 
-and it is generally on bed-rock that coarse 
gold is found in paying quantities. 

The summers are so short, that to go 
there from the coast and return the same 
season, allows but little time to work. So 
I concluded to go there again, and going 
in the early spring take supplies suflficient 



150 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

to last eighteen months. This would give 
me two summers to prospect, and I should 
have to pass one winter there. So being 
acquainted with some men who were 
going to sta}' the same length of time, 
and men who I thought w^ould suit me as 
companions, I joined them. We procured 
our outfit, taking plenty of warm cloth- 
ing and blankets, for w^e knew the wanter 
would be cold. 

We started about the first of March.. 
We took small, but strong, hand sleds- 
with us, for we intended, if possible, to 
haul our supplies on the snow and ice to 
the lower end of the ice on the lakes. 
We knew the ice in the river broke up- 
much earlier than it did on the lakes, and 
if we could get by the lakes to the river 
before the ice became too weak it would 
save us a good deal of time. 

We employed Indians with canoes to 
take us and our stores to the head of 
Daya Inlet. We arrived in good condi- 
tion, and were again ready for the trail. 
The natives came and wanted to pack for 
us, but we remembered how they stole 
from us the year before, and would not 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. I5I 

give them any regular work. We some- 
times hired them to haul sleds when we 
could watch them. We hauled our goods 
by making trips of one day's travel ahead 
and making a camp. Then we would 
leave some one to guard it, taking several 
days to haul up the remainder. When 
all was hauled up we would make another 
camp ahead, and in this manner prevented 
the natives from stealing. 

Our progress was slow, but we kept 
steady at work, and had crossed the 
mountains and slid half way down the 
lakes when the ice became so weak that 
we could not reach the river. We camped 
and built boats and waited for the ice to 
break up. The ice broke up, we embarked, 
went to the canyon, packed our stores 
across the portage and ran the boats 
through without accident. We reloaded 
the goods, ran to the falls below, portaged 
them and then the river was clear of 
obstacles as far down as we choose to go. 
We drifted down with the current, as we 
had done the year before, letting the oars 
rest. The weather being warm and 
pleasant we enjoyed the easy, gliding 



152 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

motion of the boat, and smoked and talked, 
a very pleasant way of traveling. Down, 
down we went, past the mouth of the 
Hoodylink River. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

Here we found a bar which we pros- 
pected and found sufficient gold to pay. 
Some of us stopped here and went to 
work, others kept on down. The water 
being very much lower than it was the 
previous year, we found a good many 
sfiots that would pay to work. When we 
found a place that would pay we would 
stop and work it out, or work until the 
w^ater, w^hich was now rising, would drive 
us out. Then we would go on to another. 
We kept on in this manner until the 
water had covered all the low bars. The 
higher bars were not rich enough to pay. 
We then gave our attention to the smaller 
streams emptying into the river in hopes 
of finding coarse gold. We would stop 
at 'every favorable looking stream, some 
times staying a week in one place. 

I did not intend to go to the Stuart 
River this year, but intended to go 
further down the Yukon if the formation 
was favorable for gold. We kept work- 



154 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

ing down gradually, and passed the 
mouths of the Stuart and White Rivers. 

Sometimes we would take a trip back 
from the river fort}- or fifty miles, gener- 
ally going in pairs. Our outfit on these 
little trips would be a pick, pan and 
shovel, a Winchester rifle, Colt's revolver, 
one half a blanket and a httle flour, bacon, 
sugar and coffee. We generally took 
very little of these things, and depended 
largely on game for food. In fact if game 
signs were plenty, I have started, intend- 
ing to be gone several days, taking noth- 
ing to eat but a little salt. 

Usually we would find a little gold at 
every place and not much at any place. 
A little adventure occurred to me on one 
of these trips, which may be interesting 
to the reader. This time I was alone. 
We only w^ent hunting when we were 
short of fresh meat. I did not intend to 
go far, and took nothing but my rifie and 
hunting knife. We were camped on a 
fiat place on the river bank. The flat 
extended about five miles back to the 
mountains. Our camp was at the mouth 
of a good sized creek, which was naviga- 
ble for boats to the foot hills. The water 



THIRTPJEN YEARS IN ALASKA. I 55 

being sluggish and deep I knew that my 
best chance for game at that season would 
be along the base of the hills. I followed 
up the stream, thinking that if I got any 
large game we could take a boat up the 
stream and thus save a good deal of 
packing. 

I followed alono- the stream and as I 
neared the foot hills saw signs of moose. 
I was then at the base of the hills. Skirt- 
ing along the hills a mile or more I came 
to an open prairie or glade, probably 
containing four or five acres. I sat down 
on a fallen tree to rest and look around. 
I had not sat there long when a large 
moose came out of the timber on the 
opposite side, and was coming directly 
towards me. I at once concealed myself 
behind a tree and kept quiet. He came 
on, and came so close to me that I could 
have easily hit him with a stone. I shot 
him behind the fore leg and he fell dead 
in his tracks. He was a fine specimen of 
his kind. I at once proceeded to cut him 
up, hanging the meat up in a tree. I 
then made a fire and cooked some of the 
meat, roasting it on a stick. 



156 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

Having finished my dinner I thought 
would climb up the mountain and get a 
good view of the country. It was yet 
early in the day, and I should still have 
plenty of time to go to camp and come 
back with help in the boat for the moose. 
I commenced the ascent. I saw plenty of 
fresh game tracks, but did not wish to kill 
any more, because the moose would be all 
we could use before it would spoil. I did 
not follow them, but kept on up the 
mountain. I reached the summit. It was 
not very high, but afforded a good view 
of the surrounding country. 

Looking to the westward I saw a large 
lake. I could not see the length of it, 
but it appeared to be three or four miles 
wnde. I could see that it was connected 
with the river through a break in the 
mountains below. But how much of it 
was lake and how much river I could not 
tell. It extended up to the bnse of the 
mountain on which I was standing. I 
was about to return to camp when I heard 
a sound as if some one was chopping. I 
listened. The sound continued. Look- 
ing directly down at the part of the lake 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN AI.ASKA I 57 

nearest to me, where the sound appeared 
to come from, I distinctly saw smoke. 

Who could it be in that land of sohtude 
and desolation? At first I thought it was 
natives. Then I thought of a boat that 
had preceded us down the river a tew 
days. It must be them. I thought they 
had gone down; had come to the stream 
that drained the lake, and ascending it 
with their boat had got into the lake. It 
was not mare than four miles to the 
smoke. I decided to go down and see 
them, and see if they had made any dis- 
coveries. I started rapidly down the 
slope, and soon came to the camp, when 
I was quickly undeceived. It was a village 
of natives. I should have liked to turn 
back then for fear of treachery, for I 
never could trust Indians. But it was too 
late, I had been discovered. The dogs 
came rushing and barking at me furiously. 
There must have been at least forty of 
them. They were very large and power- 
ful brutes, and wanted to eat me without 
stopping to argue the case at all. Some 
children, who had been playing behmd 
the village, ran screaming and crymg 
back to their huts. Some women who 



158 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

saw me ran away howling. The dogs 
got worse. I got ni}- back against a tree, 
for they were very threatening, and were 
really more like wolves than dojis. At 
length one, who was bolder than the 
others, sprang squarely at my throat. I 
struck him with the barrel of my rifle, 
but he came again. Leveling my rifle I 
shot the brute dead. This scared the 
others and they backed off. 

Up to this time I had not seen an}- men. 
Now I saw them coming; too many of 
them. Most of them were armed. They 
had spears, axes, clubs and old flint-lock 
guns. I saw that I had got into a hornet's 
nest. To run was worse than useless, for 
the dogs would tear me to pieces. I 
kept my back to the tree and determined 
to make every shot in my Winchester do 
its duty. Yet I would not fire the first 
shot, but leveled my rifle — a hint to them 
that if they fired the first they would get 
the next. 

What a din! Dogs barking, women 
and children screammg, the men much 
excited and talking very loud. Just then 
I saw running up from behind our friend, 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. I 59 

the half breed Russian interpreter, whose 
acquaintance I had made the year before. 
He quieted the men, and they called off 
the dogs. The squaws and young ones 
stopped their music. The half breed told 
me that they were a band of Indians who 
lived away back; that he met them there 
every year to trade shot, powder, tobacco, 
matches and such things for their furs, 
and that but few of them had ever seen a 
white man. I had no trouble in making 
peace w'ith them. The Indian wanted 
pay for his dog, which, of course, I 
agreed to. 

It was too late to go back to camp that 
night, so I accepted the hospitality of the 
half-breed trader. The Indian whose 
dog I had shot w^ould not take money in 
payment. He wanted a blanket. To 
this I consented, and next morning went 
back to camp, taking three of the Indians 
with me. I gave the Indian his blanket, 
and the other two some trifling present. 
They went off well satisfied. 

We took the boat and got the moose, 
and embarked to go further down the 
river, prospecting along every stream we 
came to. We at length came to a river 



l6o THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

which is now called Forty Mile River. 
It is a stream of considerable size. Here 
we found coarse gold, and got encourag- 
ing prospects. We made preparations to 
ascend this river. We w^ere obliged to 
build smaller and lighter boats. The 
boats we used coming down being too 
cumbersome. The current of this stream 
was very swift, and the channel rocky 
and dangerous. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

Our boats were soon finished and the 
trip commenced. As we ascended we 
found spots that would pay, yet the}^ 
were small, and a few days would work 
any of them out. We had left much the 
greater part of our supplies at the mouth 
of the river. The work of ascending was 
thus much lightened. In places there 
were rocky rapids, some times even 
making short portages necessary. 

At one of these rapids w^e had an 
accident, which w^as quite a loss to us, 
both of time and provisions. We had a 
tow line ashore with two men, myself and 
one other, towing the boat, and one man 
in the boat to steer. There was a large 
rock that lay in a position w^hich made it 
very inconvenient to pass. From the 
position in which it lay it w^as necessary 
to pass it on the outside. We had got 
the boat by and were beginning to haul in 
when suddenly the boat took a sheer and 
strained so heavy on the rope as to break 



1 62 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

it. In an instant it swang broadside to the 
currant, and drifted rapidly down stream. 
The steersman did all he could, and suc- 
ceeded in bringing the boat near the shore, 
but it was in a bad place. There was the 
trunk of a tree leaning very low^ over the 
w^ater, which was very swift and deep. 
The lower gunwale of the boat canght the 
tree broadside, and in an instant it cap- 
sized. The steersman got hold of a brush 
and hauled himself out. 

Another party a short distance below 
picked up the boat and our bedding which 
floated, but we lost all the provisions and 
tools we had with us. Fortunately we did 
not lose our arms, as we had them tied 
under the forecastle in the bow of the 
boat, (a precaution which we always 
took) and they could not fall out. We 
got our boat and at once returned to the 
mouth of the river for supplies. Having 
obtained them, we returned up the river, 
and again started to go further up, work- 
ing in places as we went. At length we 
came to a place where the river forked. 
One fork carried no gold. We kept 
following up the other until the gold be- 
came scarce, and we no longer found spots 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 163 

sufficiently rich to work. At length we 
emerged into a low flat country, and by 
•climbing a neighboring hill we could see 
many lakes and swamps. There was a 
range of snow capped mountains to the 
westward. 

The country was covered with timber 
and swarming with mosquitoes. Game 
was scarce. This I attributed to these 
pests. There were so many of them, and 
they were so ravinous, that any other 
animal life could hardly exist. The sun 
now shdne almost day and night, it being 
mid-summer. The gold on the river had 
caused the miners to concentrate there, 
and when we reached the flat lake 
country we found the rest of our party. 
Our party consisted of thirty-two men. 

We decided to make our way through 
the swamps and lakes and try to reach 
the mountains to the west. We worked 
hard from day to day pulling through the 
lakes, and in places passing through nar- 
row channels. Sometimes we were im- 
peded by timber that had fallen across the 
channel. We then had to cut the timber 
out. In other places the lakes would be 
more swamp than lake. It would be a 



164 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

black sticky mud, through which it was 
hard to pull the boats. 

We had a continual fight with the 
mosquitoes. They would fill our eyes, 
nose and mouth, and when we got through 
our hands and faces were covered w^ith 
sores, caused by those poisonous insects. 
After ten days of hard labor we reached 
the mountains. 

At their base were banks of clay, miles 
of it, on which grew no vegetation of any 
kind. In walking over it I found a great 
many bones, generally partly buried in 
the clay, and having the appearance of 
having been entirely buried at some time. 
And oh! what bones! I had no means of 
measuring them, but they certainly had 
belonged to animals that were much 
larger than any existing at the present 
time. What great, powerful and clumsy 
beasts they must have been. We also 
found teeth. In looking at them one 
could plainly see that they were teeth, 
yet they were so large that one could 
hardly realize the fact. The ivor}^ tusks 
were very long and curved when not 
broken; yet it was hard to find one that 
had not been broken. They were so 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 1 65 

cracked and black with age as to be 
entirely useless for anything except relics 
of past ages. 

How or why did those animals become 
extinct? Was it owing to a change of 
climate? Indications point that way. If 
those old bones could speak, they might 
tell us great things of doings in ancient 
times, that we do not now even suspect. 
But bones do not talk, and we are left to 
draw our own conclusions as to why those 
great beasts no longer inhabit the earth. 

In one place the alluvial soil was capped 
with lava formation. A creek had cut 
down throucrh the stratum of lava, and 
al-o through the alluvial soil underneath, 
to a solid stratum of bed-rock. The 
alluvium was composed of clay and gravel, 
and I saw some large bones in it. Alto- 
gether I believe that country wo.uld be a 
good field for geological and other scien- 
tific researches. 

We prospected throughout the moun- 
tains, finding a little gold; also some gold 
and silver bearing quartz. The silver ore 
was of the base character, carrying lead 
<ind copper with the silver. The gold 
was of the free, milling kind, but we 



1 66 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

attached no value to quartz in that coun- 
try. At present it is too far away. Yet 
the time will come when it will be valu- 
able. No doubt good quartz districts 
will be discovered, for we have seen the 
quartz, so there is no doubt of its exist- 
ence. 

On going to the summit of those moun- 
tains there was another view, and another 
chain of lakes to the southwest. The 
country was full of rolling hills, and 
looked favorable. There was no swamp 
land, the water from those lakes empty- 
ing into a stream to the southwest. We 
all decided to go to the lakes and make 
rafts, as we could go around on them on 
the lakes. Having left our whip-saws 
hundreds of miles back at our caches, we 
had no way to make lumber for boats;. 
and the portage being ten miles across, 
we could not take our boats over. So 
we packed over our provisions, mining 
tools, arms and ammunition. We built 
light rafts and started around the lakes, 
keeping close in shore, and using poles to 
shove the rafts along. We prospected 
the streams as usual, finding a little gold. 
We had gone dow^n this chain of lakes 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 1 67 

about one hundred and fifty miles, when 
we came to the outlet. We could not go 
far down stream with our rafts; for we 
would be obliged to walk back again to 
the lakes. We concluded to leave our 
light rafts in the lakes, and make two 
large rafts, — large enough to hold sixteen 
men each. This would include the whole 
party. The river being deep and slug- 
gish, we concluded to run down about 
twenty miles, taking only small supplies 
with us, as we would be obliged to pack 
them back. Then to land a party on 
each side of the river and prospect the 
small streams coming back, to meet 
where we left cur rafts and surplus 
supplies. Then to commence the return 
journey to the mouth of Forty Mile 
river, where we had cached our winter 
supplies. Then to build houses for the 
winter. 

Accordingly we built our rafts and ran 
down about fifteen miles, when the water 
began to be more rapid and we thought 
it advisable to stop. Here we saw some 
signs of Indians, but thought little of it, 
because the Indians had always been 
friendly, with the exception of the little 



l68 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

misunderstanding I had had with them up 
the river. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

Years before I had been told by a Rus- 
sian trader, who had been trading on the 
Yukon, about a tribe of cannibals that 
lived on the head waters of the Tananah, 
a river tributary to the Yukon. I knew 
that the Tananah river was still several 
hundred miles further westward. Little 
did we think that w^e were camped within 
five miles of those horrible man eaters. 
Being at the lowest point we intended to 
go to, we wanted to stop here several 
days before starting back. All unsuspic- 
ious of danger, we were out prospecting 
every day. Sometimes we went up small 
streams, and having mining tools to carr}^ 
we did not take an}^ arms with us. Fool- 
ish, careless men. It cost us the lives of 
two of our best men, who were murdered 
and eaten by those horrible inhuman 
wretches. 

These two men had started in the 
morning to go to a place w^here the}^ had 
been sinking a hole, and having found a 
small prospect they wanted to try to sink 



170 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

to bed rock. They took nothing with 
them but their tools and a lunch for their 
dinner. All came to camp in the evening 
except those two men. The place where 
the}' were prospecting was down the river 
and a little way back from it, making it 
about three miles from our camp and 
directly back about three miles from the 
camp of the man eaters. 

The next day we commenced searching 
for them, but without success. We found 
Indian tracks, and also discovered the 
Indian camp. No Indians had visited our 
camp, which satisfied me that they meant 
mischief. They surely knew that we 
were there, as we had fired guns at geese 
and ducks the first day we landed, and 
had fired more or less every day after- 
wards. 

We were now on our guard. Those 
who had camped across the river moved 
over to us. All our arms were put in 
good order and ammunition got ready. 
Fortunately all were well armed. All 
had repeating rifles — principally Win- 
chesters — with two exceptions, and they 
had breech loadino- sliotcruns, which were 
good with buck-shot at short range. 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. I7I 

There were also the arms belonging to 
the two missing men. 

No one had been to where the men 
were prospecting, but we knew the direc- 
tion they had taken. So in the next 
day's hunt we found the place. There 
was no evidence of a struggle there. 
We hunted all day and found nothing 
more. Their tools w^ere there and the 
case was a puzzle. We w^ere now thirty 
strong. That evening we discussed the 
matter. We could not think of moving 
away and leaving the men. It was de- 
cided that the following day ten men 
should, if possible, try to follow the men's 
trail; that ten should go to the Indian 
camp on pretence of wanting to trade; 
that five should stay in camp; that five 
should go in a direction immediately be- 
tween the Indian camp and the place 
where the men had been prospecting; 
that in case there was any firing, the mid- 
dle five should at once reinforce the party 
where the firing was, and that all sliould 
then get back to the camp, where we 
would be governed by circumstances. 

We thought it might be that they had 
made prisoners of our two comrades. I 



172 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

became one of the party who went to 
their village. We were well armed 
and determined in our purpose. We* 
walked boldly down the river and with- 
out warning walked suddenly into the 
village. At hrst it created a great excite- 
ment among them. Some disappeared, 
others, more bold, stood their ground. 
Having been requested by the other 
members of my party to act as spokes- 
man, I at once laid down a cloth or piece 
of calico that we had broui^ht alonij for 
the purpose. I placed thereon numerous 
small articles, such as Indians trade for. 
This they understood, and at once gath- 
ered around in o;reat numbers. I had 
instructed my men to watch their every 
movement, and also not to allow them to 
crowd too closely. I made a line on the 
sand which indicated to them I did not 
want them to cross. 

Thev brought forth furs and skins of 
all kinds, and began to trade. I was not 
deceived in their appearance. They were 
an extremely large and powerful race, 
but few of them being less than six feet 
in height, and the women were almost as 
tall as the men. The weather was warm 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. I 73 

and they wore but little clothing. Some 
of them did not wear any, being 
entirely naked. Others wore a skin 
covering or breech cloth, fastened at the 
waist, and hanging down almost to the 
knees. Their hair, which is very black 
and straight, hung loose down to their 
shoulders. It was matted and full of 
vermin. They w^ere extremely dirty. I 
do not think they had ever washed them- 
selves. Their features were more like 
those of wild beasts than those of human 
beings. Their eyes were of the Mongo- 
lian t3'pe. Their foreheads were low and 
receding. In some cases the chin would 
be receding, in others the reverse.- Some 
of them had heads of unusual length 
behind, almost amounting to a deformity. 
All had the wild beast expression of 
countenance, and showed a lack of intelli- 
gence. I have seen a good many wild 
tribes but have never seen before, and 
never expect to again, a race of human 
beings which could give one such feelings 
of loathing and disgust as these Alaska 
man-eaters. 

Their language consisted of a succes- 
sion of harsh and unpleasant sounds 



2 74 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

connected with signs, and I had concluded 
that they had httle or no dealing with 
traders; as I could not see any articles in 
the camp which they could have traded 
for, excepting some old knives and a 
couple of very old axes. Their arms w^ere 
bows, arrow^s and spears. From some 
source they had got iron that formed 
their spear heads, although some of them 
were made of copper. Their arrows 
were pointed with bone, and some carried 
clubs with rocks fastened to the end. 

I finished trading as quickly as possible, 
as I wanted to go through the village, 
to see if I could see any thing pointing 
to the fate of our missing companions. 
Their houses w^ere made of sticks, brush, 
grass and the skins of moose and cariboo. 
We walked boldly through the village, 
and inspected every thing that came in 
our way, but found nothing. We then 
went back of the village into the timber. 
We saw numerous trails which appeared 
to lead farther into the timber. I also 
noticed that there was a great deal of 
fallen timber close behind the village. I 
afterwards found I had done a good thing 
in posting myself so well. We then 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 1 75 

returned to camp, and had not been 
there long before the other two parties 
came in. They had found some evidences 
of a struggle not far from and farther 
down the little stream where the boys 
had been prospecting, but had found no 
trail leading from the spot. Some of the 
party wanted to leave, claiming that we 
could do nothing more. To this I would 
not consent, and the majority sided with 
me. 

There was much difference of opinion 
as to what was the best course to pursue. 
We decided that the next day a party 
should go again to the place where the 
struggle had been and search farther. 
That night tw^o of our men had gone a 
short distance from camp in the evening, 
and were returning late, saw^ some of the 
natives sneaking around our camp, but 
had not been seen themselves. This sat- 
isfied me that they were guilty of mur- 
dering our companions. I also believed 
that if we attempted to leave without 
punishing them they would attack u?. 
The country being rough and full of 
underbrush, they could kill a great many 
if not all of us. However, I did not say 



176 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

any thing then, but next morning joined 
the searching party. We left about one- 
half the men in camp, the remainder 
making the searching part}-. We went 
to where the struggle had been. The 
evidence of a struggle was quite plain, 
and in the creek, close by, we found a 
button. Evidently it had been torn off 
there. This satisfied us that they had 
walked in the water to avoid making any 
trail. We followed down, and about one 
mile below found the place where they 
had climbed out on the bank. There 
was a great number of tracks, most of 
them coming from the direction of the 
cannibals' village. From this on the trail 
was easily followed. It led us about five 
miles to a small stream, that ran through 
a small open glade. Here the horrible 
tale was told. Several fires had been 
built, and in the bushes at the edge of the 
glade, we found the bones of our unfor- 
tunate companions. We could see that 
they had been roasted, and some of them 
plainly showed the marks of teeth. 

At once it flashed across my mind that 
we should keep the man-eaters ignorant 
of our discovery. I spoke to the others 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 1 77" 

about it. They at once coincided with 
me. So we did not disturbe any thing,. 
but turning toward camp, went back as- 
soon as possible. 

Then the question arose, what should 
be done? A few wanted to leave at 
once, and I am glad to say only a few. 
They were the bar-room fighters of whom 
I have previously spoken. I let them, 
talk and said nothing, although most of 
the men had been looking to me for an 
opinion. At length several asked me to 
express my opinion, which I then did. 

I told them it was self-evident that the 
man-eaters were not afraid of us. Had 
they been afraid, they would have left at 
once after committing the horrible act.. 
That I believed they were only waiting 
until we should begin to travel, when they 
could destroy us with their arrow^s from? 
ambush without exposing themselves.- 
That I believed they were watching us 
continually, and since I had carefully re- 
flected on the matter, I believed our pre- 
caution about the discovery w^as useless.. 

They then asked me what I thought 
we should do. My proposition was tO: 
attack them in their village, kill as many 



178 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

as possible and teach them to respect the 
whites. We could then return in safety. 
As we were armed with repeating rifles, 
and they had no idea of our power, 
they would be so much surprised that 
the victory would be easy. Whereas, if 
we started back without punishing them, 
we would have the same number to fight 
and also would do it at a great disadvant- 
age. Having talked the matter over, 
they adopted my plan and war was de- 
cided on. The following morning was 
appointed for the attack. We decided to 
start at daybreak, go down through the 
timber, and attack them from the rear. 

The men insisted on my acting as cap- 
tain of the band, which I consented to do 
provided all were satisfied, which they 
were. I then told them that I should 
expect them to obey promptly any order 
given by me. To this they consented, 
and we lay down to rest. I scarcely 
slept that night, but lay thinking of the 
possibilities of the coming day. Would 
we all be ahve by the next sunset.'* I 
knew that they outnumbered us almost 
twelve to one, but I had great faith in 
our Winchesters; besides, fully one-half 
of the men had Colts revolvers. 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. I 79 

The nights then were very short, there 
Tiot being over two hours darkness. As 
soon as dawn appeared I got up, stirred 
up the fire and got the men up. We made 
a large kettle of coffee, of which all par- 
took, some also eating a light breakfast. 
I told the men I wanted them to be very 
•careful and not expose themselves. I 
pointed out to them how inconvenient it 
would be if there were many wounded. 
Although I was positive that we should 
•carry the day, yet we could do it without 
■exposing ourselves. I said that we should 
keep behind trees; that if they pressed 
us too hard we should avoid a hand to 
hand fight by slowly retreating from tree 
to tree. That when we had them checked 
we should regain the ground by again 
advancing from tree to tree. I advised 
them to make no move which would ef- 
fect our position, unless I gave the order. 
I then appointed a man to act as my as- 
sistant, my main object being to prevent 
the men from needlessly exposing them- 
selves. I left five men in the camp, and 
with twenty-four went through the tim- 
ber and came out behind the man-eaters* 
village. 



l8o THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

It was as I had expected. They had 
been watching us and there was a great 
clamor and noise. I could see that they 
were armed and ready. I formed the 
men in a line with instructions to keep as 
near in that position as possible, and keep 
under cover of the trees. Placing my 
lieutenant at one end of the line, I myself 
went to the other. This would enable us 
to watch and if any were wounded we 
should see it at once ; whereas, if the men 
were scattered too much, w^e should not 
know where to look for them, and in case 
of retreat we might accidentally leave 
wounded men in their merciless hands. 

I then ordered the men to advance, 
keeping themselves covered as they had 
done. Closer and closer we got, and the 
noise increased in the village. I then 
gave the order to fire whenever they had 
an opportunity to kill anyone, but to fire 
no useless shots. 

We did not wait long. I saw they 
were getting ready for a rush toward us.. 
I got upon a fallen tree trunk, but yet 
managed to keep behind another tree. I 
saw the natives start, and sung out to 
the men that they were coming and told 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. l8l 

them to make every shot count. On they 
came. The whole horrible, brutish-look- 
ing lot came fairly under fire at less than 
one hundred yards distant. I opened the 
ball by firing the first shot, and then the 
rifles rang out on the still morning air, 
steady and regular. Then I saw what a 
terrible weapon the Winchester was in 
the hands of good marksmen. 

Down they went by scores, almost 
every shot appearing to count one, and 
yet they kept coming. Now they were 
within one hundred feet of us. They had 
come to the fallen timber that I have be- 
fore spoken of. They were obliged to 
climb up on it to get to us,w^hich exposed 
their whole bodies at a very short range. 
In vain. Not one could gain an upright 
footing upon the timber. When the front 
one fell the next one tried it, only to fall 
dead in the arms of his brother cannibals 
behind. They were checked; they wav- 
ered, then broke and ran. They had lost 
terribly for so short a time. I then or- 
dered the men to advance as far as there 
were trees to cover their movements. We 
got so close to their village that we could 
fire through their frail houses. They 



1 82 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

fired some arrows at us, but we were not 
exposed and they did us no harm. 

A few of them sneaked up behind 
some fallen timber and used their bows, 
but it was all guess work. They alsa- 
threw some spears over a pile of fallen 
trees, behind which some of our men were^ 
A spear struck one of our men in the 
knee, making a severe but not dangerous 
wound. This was the only man of ours 
who was hurt during the fight. They 
had had enough of charging us. Taking 
seven men, I passed down to the lower 
end of the village where I could keep in 
the timber and still get closer. There we 
got a splendid chance, firing on them in 
front as well as in the rear. They were 
now getting it too warm to stand it any 
longer. They became panic stricken. 

Some jumped into the river and swam 
across; others were shot in the water, 
and some got away through, the un- 
guarded space at the upper end of the 
vill ige. At last there was nothing more 
to fire at. Some women and children 
were hid in the huts, but the most of 
them had got away. When we discov- 
ered their hiding places they screamed 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 183 

and ran. We let them run, paying no 
further attention to them. 

We had killed one hundred and four, 
and about thirty were so badly wounded 
that they could not get away. Some of 
our men wanted to kill them, but I ob- 
jected. I thought we had punished them 
enough, and I think their appetite for the 
white man's flesh is spoiled for many years 
to come. We burned their village and 
destroyed everything of any value that we 
could see. We went and got the bones 
of our murdered companions and buried 
them, and started on the return trip. We 
did but little prospecting on the return. 
All were dejected in spirits. Our pro- 
visions were getting short. 

We came to our rafts on the lakes and 
found everything all right. We traveled 
to the head of the lakes. We crossed 
the portage to our boats and found the 
shallow lake on which we had left them 
dried up. -Here was another fix. Our 
boats were not less than ten miles from 
water. We had no tools to make other 
boats, and boats we must have. We de- 
cided to carry them. Our provisions 
were almost exhausted. We had carried 



384 THIRTEP:N YEARS IN ALASKA. 

•our wounded man all the way from the 
battlefield — if so it could be called when 
it was so one-sided. Bad as those wretches 
•were, I can never think of them without 
feelings of compassion. Their punishment 
was almost too severe. I did not mind 
the killing of the men. They had made 
war on us in the most treacherous man- 
ner. But if I had it to do again I would 
not burn their village and their fur clothes 
and bedding, for that must have caused 
tnuch suffering among the children in the 
long, cold winter that followed. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

We carried the boats. It was a hard 
job. The mosquitoes tormented us con- 
tinually. There was no game, and our 
provisions got so low that we put our- 
selves on rations. Once more we em- 
barked in our boats. There was much 
shallow water and sand to get through, 
which delayed us a great deal. We 
pulled, hauled, tugged and lifted, which 
increased our appetites, but did not in- 
crease our supply of food. Nor did it 
starve the mosquetoes. Such a life! It 
was wretched — such hard work with not 
enough food to sustain us, and the insects 
blinding us. For several days it remained 
about the same. We had cooked the 
last thing we had. It was no use to look 
for game there. Another day's travel 
would carry us through swamp lake, as 
we called it, to open water. No more 
boating in mud then; but it had to be 
done without a particle of food. Yet we 
did it. Now it was open water to the 
river. Then there was a current to carry 



1 86 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

US down to our winter supplies. We 
gained the river and drifted down, only 
pulling enough for steerage way. 

And here is another incident to be 
recorded; another comrade called to his 
last account. A small boat that had 
started first had got fast on a rock in 
such a manner thai they could not get it 
off. There were only two men in the 
boat. The rock was near the middle of 
the stream, in a rapid, dangerous place. 
While w^orking to get it off, one of the 
men taking an oar got a position w'here 
he thought he could lift it off. He lifted 
too hard, the ore broke suddenly, and he 
was precipitated into the whirlpool. The 
other man on the rock says he never 
came up, or if he did, he did not see him. 
The other man stayed on till we came 
along. We ran so close to him that he 
could jump into our boat. As we ran 
down we came to men working on the 
bars. They gave us food, and we were 
happy once more. We found our caches 
all right at the mouth of the river. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

After resting a few days, we com- 
menced looking around for a suitable 
place to build our winter quarters. Hav- 
ing satisfied ourselves as to the location, 
we at once commenced building, using 
logs. We built double walls, making 
them more than four feet in thickness, and 
making a roof of logs, bark and gravel, 
also four feet thick. We tilled in the hol- 
low between the walls with clay and 
gravel. Our fireplace was large and 
built of rocks. The doors were double, 
made in such a manner that before open- 
ing the inner door we could shut the 
outer one, thus preventing the cold from 
getting into the house. There were no 
windows, for there was no glass to make 
any. In fact, as there is little daylight in 
winter in that region, there would be but 
little use for windows. We built our 
cabins to accommodate from two to four 
men each. 

The weather was now getting cold, it 
being the latter part of September. We 



1 88 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

then went hunting. Knowing where 
there were some natives of the better 
class, we went to see them, as we wanted 
to trade for fur clothing or fresh moose or 
caribou meat. We got the clothing, but 
they had no meat to spare. We then 
went hunting in earnest. Finding a good 
place, we soon killed game enough to last 
us through the winter. 

As fast as we killed the game we al- 
lowed it to freeze, and by keeping it in 
the shade we kept it frozen. We got 
our beef to camp and built a small house 
for it. We then got a supply of wood, 
and when winter came we were ready 
for it. 

Shorter and shorter grew the days, 
and colder became the weather. Snow 
fell to the depth of about one foot, and did 
not get over two feet deep during the 
winter. The sun disappeared entirely, 
but the Aurora Borealis, or Northern 
Light, came in its stead, making a strong 
light, not unlike the electric light. The 
weather became extremely cold, freezing 
quicksilver, and getting much colder after- 
ward. Not having any way of knowing 
precisely how cold it was, we could only 
guess. 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 189 

When we went out to fetch wood or 
water we had to dress very warm, even 
covering our faces and only leaving a hole 
to breath and see through. Where the 
frosty air could come in contact with the 
bare skin it felt hke fire. The Httle moist- 
ure that was in the wood, and what went 
up the chimney from pots when cooking, 
would freeze at the top and choke the 
vent with ice. 

When the weather was not too cold we 
would hunt and trap for rabbits by the 
light of the Aurora Borealis. The ex- 
treme cold was not constant, but the 
weather moderated at times, so that by 
bundling up very warm we could stay out 
several hours. Our cabin w^as carpeted 
and lined with the skins of animals. Our 
bedsteads were made of polls, our table of 
rough boards and our chairs were blocks 
of wood sawed the right length. For 
light we used tallow-dip candles, which 
we made ourselves from the tallow of the 
moose and carriboo. We also used some 
bear's oil in a lamp made from a yeast 
powder can. 

I used to go out as much as I could for 
exercise and fresh air. In the cabin where 



190 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

I lived were two others, there being three 
of us in the cabin. I induced my com- 
rades to exercise as much as they could 
in the open air, for I dreaded scurvy, and 
sure enough it came. The men were not 
all so well fixed for supplies as I and my 
messmates were. Some of them were 
short of provisions, and what they had 
were not of the best quality. In all there 
were about forty of us wintering at that 
place. The scurvy made its appearance 
about the middle of February. The one 
attacked would first complain of soreness 
of the gums, then the teeth would become 
loose, the legs became swolen and dis- 
colored, and if one would squeeze the 
flesh of the affected part the print would 
remain where one pressed. We were 
short of medicine, as many had brought 
none with them. Humanity demanded 
that we should divide. 

I had taken in among my other supplies 
some delicacies in the shape of canned 
goods, milk, jellies, jams, and Liebig's 
extract of beef. I did not hesitate to 
produce at once my little stock of delica- 
cies and use them for the benefit of the 
sick. With medicine I was poorly pro- 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. I9I 

vided, having only a few boxes of Bran- 
dreth's piils, a few bottles of Pain-killer, 
and a small bottle of gum camphor soaked 
in alcohol. That was all I had in the 
medicine Hne, 

We did all in our power for the poor 
sick men. They gradually grew worse. 
We got barks and roots, and made teas, 
but they did no good. Twelve of our 
men were now sick and growing worse 
every day. Two had died. We tried 
willow bark and that did some good. All 
used it and it prevented the disease from 
spreading. 

The parts of the body most affected 
with the disease would turn black, and 
the teeth would come out. The lower 
extremeties became affected first, the dis- 
ease gradually working up until the vital 
parts were reached, when the patient 
died. The affected parts turned as black 
as charcoal, and, strange to say, the pa- 
tient suffered but little pain. Two had 
already died, and before we discovered 
the virtues of the willow three others 
were too far advanced to recover. The 
other seven recovered. 



192 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

I was one day sitting talking to one who 
was near his end. 1 was trying to cheer 
him, although I knew he could not live 
long, yet he did not think he should die. 
His mind was clear and he was talking of 
his intentions and plans for the coming 
summer. He asked me to get him a 
drink of water. The kettle was empty. 
I took the kettle and went out to the hole 
in the ice where we got water from the 
river. I got the water, and coming in 
filled a cup and went to his bedside. He 
did not move. I spoke to him. No an- 
sw^er — he was dead. I had not been gone 
more than five minutes. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Spring was now at hand, although the 
ice on the river would not break up 
for some time. We made sleds, and 
loading them with our supplies, started 
up Forty Mile River to where we knew 
of bars with gold enough to pay for 
working them. We could not work 
them in the fall on account of high water. 
The water was now very low. As we 
found the sledding on the ice very good, 
we arrived at the bars in due time. We 
cut and broke away the ice, but found 
the gravel frozen. We made fires on it 
and in that manner thawed it out. We 
worked very hard, as we wanted to take 
advantage of the low water, for we did not 
expect it to remain so long. We scarcely 
stopped long enough for rest and refresh- 
ments. We were also finding some very 
coarse gold, some pieces weighing as 
much as two ounces. For awhile w^e did 
well, getting as much as fifty dollars a 
day to the man. But the geld began to 
give out and the water began to rise. The 



194 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

ice broke up and went out. We had 
nothing more to do there. We made 
rafts and floated down on them to our 
winter quarters. Here we stayed a few 
days, resting and planning for the sum- 
mer. With the gold we found on Forty 
Mile River we found another metal. It 
was quite malleable, was in the form of 
grains similar to gold, and was of a steel- 
gray color. It proved to be platinum, 
which is worth about eight dollars per 
ounce. It was not plentiful. 

We had a great many different plans 
for the summer. Some wanted to ascend 
the Yukon to prospect; some wanted to 
remain in the vicinity of where we were, 
and I wanted to prospect down the Yukon 
as far as I could find any mountains to 
prospect, and in the fall go out at the 
mouth of the river and go to St. Michaels, 
a trading post on Bherings Strait about 
ninety miles north from the mouth of 
the Yukon, belonging to the Northwest 
Alaska Commercial Company. There we 
should surely be able to meet with a 
whaling or trading vessel and get trans- 
portation to San Francisco or some other 
southern port. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

Six men agreed to go with me and we 
^t once made preparations, bid good-bye 
to our friends, and started on our long 
journey. We drifted leisurely down with 
the current, stopping and prospecting at 
-every favorable looking tributary stream 
as usual, and finding a little gold. I also 
noticed considerable quartz, and I have no 
hesitation in saying that the time will 
come when the interior of Alaska will be 
a great producer of the precious metals. 
At times, if we found gold at the mouth 
of a stream, we would ascend it, some- 
times a considerable distance, with always 
the same result — nothing to pay. And 
so the days, weeks and months came and 
went and Autumn had come. The valley 
had increased in width until we could no 
longer see the mountains on either side 
except at times, and then only in the hazy 
dim distance. 

So we decided to give up prospecting 
and go to St. Michaels. The river was 
now very sluggish and filled with count- 



196 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

less islands. It was also very wide, in 
some places fifteen or twenty miles. We 
had passed the mouth of the Porcupine 
River, which comes in from the north, 
and the mouth of the Tanannah, a large 
tributary coming in from the south, near 
which a great many Indians were camped. 
We stopped at their village, and here was 
a slight to look at. The filth and dirt was 
indescribable. Their poverty w^as almost 
beyond belief. Their food consisted 
principally of salmon, with some geese 
and ducks. The fish, geese and ducks 
were dried for winter use. There ap- 
peared to be no other kind of game. As 
they had no skins nor furs, their clothing 
was made from the skins of the salmon 
sewed toc^ether. 

Their houses were dug out of the high 
sandy river banks and covered with poles,. 
with a smoke hole in the top. The front 
of the house was built up with poles. They 
were quite friendly. I went inside of one 
of those houses, or dens, to satisfy my 
curiosit}', and oh, the smell! I cannot see 
how a human being could live in such an 
atmosphere. My curiosity was fully sat- 
isfied. I never wanted to examine an- 
other. 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. I97 

We passed on down to the mouth of 
the river, in many places passing small 
camps of those wretched people. They 
appeared to be more like esquimaux than 
the up-river natives, and this feature in 
their appearance became more and more 
marked as we went down the river. 

Now the country became entirely desti- 
tute of timber. The banks were low and 
the river was divided up into many chan- 
nels. The surrounding country was very 
low and flat and covered with a brownish 
Htchen and moss. We were now down 
to where the tide from the sea backed the 
water up. Not a tree nor bush to be 
seen in any direction. But we could get 
plenty of driftwood that had come down 
the river, a fortunate thing for us, for the 
nights were quite chilly. Ducks and 
geese were here by millions, and we were 
well supplied with food as we still had 
plenty of other suppHes. But what a land 
of desolation! And yet we would occa- 
sionally pass a few rude huts made of 
driftwood. 

Well, as all things have an end, so did 
this long river, and we found ourselves 
once more on the shores of the briny 



ipS THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

ocean. Our boats were not fit for ocean 
traveling, so we got some logs of drift- 
wood large enough to make lumber. We 
broke up our two river boats, and sawing 
some lumber from the logs, we got enough 
to make one sea boat large enough to 
carry the whole party to St. Michaels^ 
which was about ninety miles distant. 



CHAPTER XXX. 

So one bright morning we started, but 
the weather did not remain good. The 
sky became overcast and the wind com- 
menced blowing; however, the wind was- 
not strong, so we kept on. Our boat 
proved to be a good sea boat, riding the 
seas as bouyantly as a duck. The days 
were now about twelve hours long. The 
nights were very dark, there being no- 
moon. We decided to camp for the night 
at the first favorable place, but we could 
not find the favorable place. We wanted 
a place where our boats would be shel- 
tered from the wind and waves, as the 
coast was rocky, but we could not see 
any place we could haul the boat clear of 
the surf. Daylight disappeared and we 
had found no landing place. 

The wind increased and blew a perfect 
gale from the southeast. We were 
obliged to keep away from the shore, for 
there was danger of striking rocks. Then- 
along with the wmd came a cold, blind- 
ing sleet. Our condition was one of 



200 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

great discomfort. It was so dark that 
we could not see each other in the boat. 
We had had no supper; were cold, hun- 
gry-, and wet to the skin, with a prospect 
of passing the whole night at sea. The 
wind was driving us rapidly to the north- 
west. I knew that the Straits here were 
not very wide, for during the day we had 
got a sight of what I took to be the Sibe- 
rian coast. The wind increased. It was 
now almost a hurricane, but the rain and 
sleet ceased. All we could do was to 
pull with the wind for steerage way. The 
boat could not be- handled properly, for 
the seas were heavy and breaking and 
we shipped a good deal of water. 

Two of the men were experienced sea- 
men, which I believe saved our lives on 
this occasion. They handled the boat 
well, and yet we shipped so much water 
we had to Hghten the load. First we 
threw overboard our mining tools; next 
we threw over several sacks of flour, and 
yet we had to bail continual!}-. Our rolls 
of bedding came in the way of bailing, so 
over they went. Nothing was left now 
but a couple of sacks of flour and a few 
other kinds of provisions, and they being 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 20I 

saturated with salt water, would be but 
little better than nothing. 

However, it was not destined that we 
should keep even these. The wind con- 
tinued on in its fury, and we took turns 
baiHng. Now we thought we could hear 
the roaring of the surf on the beach ahead. 
It was the shore of an island near the 
main land and the hurricane was driving 
us directly onto it. To hold the boat off 
by pulling at the oars would be impossible 
against such a hurricane. As we came 
hearer we could see the breakers. I knew 
the stru<rorle was near. If the undertow 
was not to strong it was quite likely we 
could make the shore. On the contrary, 
if the undertow was strong, to gain the 
shore was almost impossible. Day w^as 
now breaking, which w^as a good thing 
for us. We tied our rifles securely inside 
the boat, also our revolvers and cartridge 
belts. We lightened ourselves as much 
as possible. It wms now lighter and we 
could plainly see timber on the beach. 

The experienced men proposed to send 
the boat ashore under all the headway we 
could possibly give her. Then, if the 
beach proved to be soft, the headway 



202 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

would carry us so much further up. So 
we headed directly for the shore and 
pulled with all our strength. When the 
shock came it was a heavy one. I heard 
the timbers breaking. We had struck 
rock bottom. Another wave struck and 
swung the boat around, and then it was 
lifted and came down and struck on the 
side. We were all thrown into the water. 
All hands made for the shore. Another 
wave came and carried me off my feet 
and then receded. I managed to ^et a 
footing and did not go back with it. I 
again struggled for the beach with all my 
might, and before another swell came I 
was out of danger. The others were as 
fortunate as I, and we w^ere all safe so far 
as drowning was concerned. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

We stood on the shore and watched the 
boat, for it was now hght enough to see 
a little. I was very anxious to get my 
rifle. It was tied in the boat, and the 
boat was already a wreck. To get our 
arms was impossible. The boat went 
entirely to pieces. We had lost every 
thing — our boat, our tools, our beds, 
provisions, and even our arms. We were 
in a w^retched plight. Not a match, nor 
anything to make a fire with; we had 
only the clothes we wore. We were 
landed, we knew not how far from St. 
Michaels — the nearest place that we had 
any knowledge of where we could get 
assistance. The worst loss was the boat. 

As soon as it was light enough we 
commenced to explore the island, for an 
island it proved to be. There were no 
signs of natives, although I saw plenty of 
deer tracks along the beach. However 
we had no way to kill them and no fire 
to cook them. We went aroudn the 
upper part of the island. It was not 



204 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

more than three miles to the main land, 
the coast of Alaska further northwest. 

I could not see any smoke or sign of 
inhabitants as I viewed the coast of the 
main land. We gathered clams and mus- 
cles and ate them raw, for we could not 
cook without a fire; but they kept us 
from starving to death at least. We 
thought it best to stay at the upper end of 
the island so we could watch both sides 
for natives who might be passing in canoes. 
It would be our only chance to get away. 
It rained almost the whole day. We 
were very wet, cold, hungry and miser- 
able. Now night came on. I can hardly 
tell how we lived. We tried to get a hre 
by rubbing two sticks together, also with 
rocks striking them together, but we did 
not succeed. 

The next day the sun came out and we 
dried our clothing. Fortunately for us 
the sun shone several da3's in succession. 
We gathered fallen timber and made a 
kind of a house. We roofed it with 
brush and such barks as we could find 
loose. Then we gathered leaves and 
moss and made a nest, and found it much 
better than no place. The clams and 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 205 

muscles were hard living, and especially 
so as the}' were raw^ 

We tried ver}^ hard to get a fire. We 
rubbed sticks together until they would 
smoke, but we could not make them burn. 
We had heard of savages making fire in 
that way, but it would not work for us. 
We then got rocks and by striking them 
with our pocket knives we could get 
sparks, but could not get anything dry 
enough to catch from them. Still we 
kept on trying, and no doubt would have 
eventually succeeded. But one day two 
canoes of natives, apparently a hunting 
party, came close to the island. We 
managed to attract their attention. They 
landed and were very much surprised to 
see us. They had fish arid venison and 
also matches. They were friendly and 
kind to us. They camped on the island 
two days and hunted deer. They gave 
us fish and venison. We made large fires 
and had large roasts. We had lived on 
raw shell-fish and been without fire ten 
days. I thought the venison and fish 
were the finest I had ever eaten. I even 
felt as if the fire was of an extra qualit3\ 
In this manner will one appreciate the 



2o6 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

necessaries of life if for a lime they are 
deprived of them. 

I then tried to hire them to take us to 
St. Michaels. They agreed to go, but 
wanted to know in what way and how 
much we would pay them. I showed 
them money — silver coin. They took it 
into their hands and fitted it to their cloth- 
ing, which intimated that they only con- 
sidered it good for buttons. They farther 
intimated that they did not want silver. I 
showed them gold coin and gold dust with 
the same result. They would not take 
money, but indicated that they wanted our 
clothing. 

After a good deal of dickering I made 
them understand that we could not spare 
our clothing, but if they would take us to 
St. Michaels I would get anything for 
them that they wanted that was there for 
sale. To this they agreed, and the next 
day we started. Those natives were 
clothed in furs and buckskin. They 
lived at some place on the Siberian coast. 

From the island on which we w^ere 
wrecked I could see far to the northwest 
into Alaska. The landscape sloped grad- 
ually back as far as the eye could reach. 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 207 

There were no signs of inhabitants on 
the land, that I could see. Near the coast 
it was covered with scrubby timber. Fur- 
ther back it had the appearance of a prai- 
rie. When the weather was good, the air 
was free from smoke, the sign that always 
indicates the presence of cities or a settled 
country. From the summit of a large 
hill I could see in the north and west the 
dim outline of a range of mountains. 
There was also a vast, level plain visible 
to the view. 

We now embarked for St. Michaels 
and on the evening of the second day we 
reached it. It is a trading post. The 
people were kind and hospitable and furn- 
ished us with a house to live in. The 
post is on a small island, quite near the 
main land. The water is bad, and not a 
stick of timber grows within many miles. 
There is plenty of driftwood, however, 
to be picked up on the beach. The trad- 
ing company make thi-^ their supply sta- 
tion for all their most northern trade. 

Here we found an interpreter and made 
satisfactory arrangements w^ith our In- 
dians. We allowed them to name the 
amount that they thought we should 



208 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

pay them. Their demand was very 
light, not amounting to more than one 
dollar to each man of the company. They 
expressed themselves well pleased with 
the payment. We then told them through 
the interpreter that they had treated us 
well and now we would make them a 
present. We gave each one a good, 
heavy pair of blankets. At this they 
were very much surprised, as well as 
highlv pleased. They promised us in re- 
turn that thev would always be kind to 
and friendly with the whites. 

We remained at St. Michaels nearly 
three weeks when a government revenue 
cutter stopped. The captain gave us a 
passage to Sitka, and mj- travels in inte- 
rior of Alaska had ended. 

I staved at the coast several years, 
sometimes prospecting, at others in the 
the employ of the different mining com- 
panies. I do not think that I shall ever 
again return to Alaska, although I con- 
sider it a good field for the prospector. 
My constitution is broken and I can no 
longer endure the hardships attending 
such a life. Through all those long years 
there was an overruling Providence; an 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 209 

ever helping hand, whose presence was 
never wanting; who, through the medium 
of our conscience, pointed out to us the 
path of duty. Its power is felt by all 
right minded men and women, and if we 
obey that voice it will not only bring us 
happiness in this world, but also in the 
time to come. Who is it that having 
done a good act, an act of kindness or 
charity, that does not feel happier when 
he reflects on it? And are there any, who 
having done a mean action, do not feel 
degraded in their own estimation? Such 
is the gift of conscience that the All-Ruling 
Power has given to us, that we may be 
able to know the right from the wrong. 

I deem it proper here in conclusion to 
add a statement that of the men w^ho 
were killed or died on those trips I only 
know the names of two. They are 
Thomas Jones, drowned; and Jack- 
son, murdered and eaten by cannibals. 
Usually among miners only nicknames 
are used. Thus it is seldom you know 
the name of any, except a very intimate 
friend. 

In speaking of matters pertaining to the 
education of the native Alaskan, it is only 



2IO THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

fair to mention that the Society of Friends 
is represented there. Their headquarters 
are at Douglas City, on Douglas Island, 
where the}*- have built a school house and 
made other improvements under the able 
management of Mr. E. W. Weesner. Like 
the Pennsylvania Quakers in William 
Penn's time, they are rapidly gaining the 
good will and confidence of the natives. 

These missionaries are exceedingly well 
liked, not only by the natives, but by all 
who have dealings with them. I believe 
that much good will result from their ex- 
ertions, and this may be said of all our 
missionaries who are laboring in Alaska. 
They are zealous and untiring in their ef- 
forts, though they have had many difficul- 
ties to contend with. A close, observer 
can plainly see that thier good works are 
commencing to tell for good, and I believe 
it to be the duty of all who can to con- 
tribute to their support, no matter what 
denomination they may belong to; for a 
number of them have spent many years of 
the best part of their lives in this good 
work. 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

■Some Clippings from Late Alaska Papers. 



From the Juneau City Mining- Record. September 12, 1SS9. 

A new trading post will be established by Mr. 
Harper at the mouth of the Telley Eiver, which 
will be a great convenience to miners going 
•either way, as they will now be able to secure an 
abundance of supplies. Mr. Harper some time 
ago was on his way to this new post, and prob- 
ably by this time is ready for business. 

A NEAV STEAMER FOR THE YUKON. 

The Alaska Commercial Company has placed 
a new steamer on the river, to be better able to 
handle the increasing traftic on the river. The 
new boat is 135 feet in length and has a carrying 
•capacity of about 140 tons. The boat was brought 
from San Francisco in sections and put together 
at the mouth of the river. 



■From the Juneau City Mining Record, October lo, 1SS9. 

The Northern Pacific Railroad Company is 
•evidently anticipating greatly increased busi- 
ness for the coming year, as it has just placed 
orders for rolling stock thus far in excess of any 
other railroad. There are to be over 2,500 new 
cars — of four classes. Then $1,000,000 will be 
invested at once in establishing an Alaskan line 
of elegant passenger and freight steamships to 
•connect the company's railroads on Puget Sound. 



212 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

From the Juneau City Mininuf Record, October 24, iS'^^i 
ALASKA COAL FIELDS. 

(yoal has been found in vast quantities in 
Alaska, so extensive in fact as to postpone the 
day indefinitely when a substitute for that great 
fuel must be sought. On the east shore of Cook's 
Inlet, for a distance of two hundred miles, these 
great coal measures have been traced, and their 
extent is unknown. Three veins have been ex- 
amined which vary in tliickness from four to 
eight feet. The top one lies thirty feet from the 
surface beneath a covering of blue clay, and be- 
tween the veins are strata of fire clay four or 
five feet thick, w'hich has been used in the can- 
neries in the place of fire brick and found to be 
most excellent From the water the coal veins 
are easily accessible, the highest elevation for 
from thirty to ninety miles from the inlet on 
the east being but two hundred feet. At Coal 
Harbor the Russians have taken out coal in 
small quantities for years past, and government 
vessels have used it to some extent. John Tread- 
well organized a company last year to work these 
mines, and several cargoes have been sent to 
market. Coal Harbor is a large and secure haven, 
completely land-locked and sheltered from storms 
from any direction. Vessels may lie at the 
wharves or at anchor in perfect security. A 
railroad three miles in length will coimect the 
mines with the wharves, which must run out a 
long distance to reach deep water. If these coal 
veins prove to be what is claimed for them 
Alaska will have a source of wealtth greater 
than any known.— Portland West Shore. 

N. A. Fuller, formerly superintendent of the 
A. M. & M. Co., on Douglas Island, is interested 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 213 

with Mr. Tread well in the above mentioned coal 
fields, and will probably have charge of the en- 
terprise. 

THE WEALTH OF ALASKA. 

Senator Stockbridge recently made a trip into 
this territory and was interviewed by the De- 
troit (Mich.) Free Press. He said: "The coun- 
try is rich in minerals of various kinds, and a 
great deal of money will be taken out of it dur- 
ing the next decade by capitalists who are 
plucky enough to invest while the tide is run- 
ning. The timber possibilities are also very 
promising. There is an abundance of spruce 
and cpdar, both varieties attaining enormous 
size and important lumber value. In the mat- 
ter of timber, Alaska does not differ m;iterially 
from Washington. The salmon fisheries are 
very noticeable commercial factors, and oper- 
ated, as they usually are, in conjunction with 
canning factories, they must naturally yield 
large profits to investors. American capital 
can, I think, be safely invested in Alaska with 
reasonable certainty of profitable returns." 



Selections from the Alaska Free Press of November 9, 1SS9, 

We acknowledge a pleasant call from Gov- 
ernor Knapp this week. The governor is now on 
a cruise through southeastern Alaska, and is 
taking unwonted zeal and is putting forth every 
effort for the future advancement of this coun- 
try. 

Development work on the Silver Queen still 
continues. The upper tunnel is being pushed 
ahead, and the lower cross-cut tunnel is being 
<lriven to tap the veins. The latter workings 
will be used for winter work. 



214 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

0. E. Coon, immediately upon receivings his 
appointment as postmaster, went to work to- 
secure a money order office for Juneau, and 
now, or in five weeks from this time, he informs 
us he lias succeeded, as the notification and nec- 
essary books and blanks arrived on this boat. 
Mr. Coon certainly deserves great credit in secur- 
ing for the people of Juneau this great conven- 
ience. 

Measured distances from Haines' Mission via 
Chilkoot Pass to forks of Lewis and Pelley Eiv- 
ers. — Survey of W. Ogilvie, D. L. S. 

Miles. 

From Juneau City to Haines' Mission ^o% 

Haines' Mis. to head of salt water (Healey's) 20.4<) 
*' " to head of canoe navigation. . 26.46 

" to forks of Dainy River 28.76 

" " to Sum of Daiay or Chilkoot P 35.47 

" " to Lake Lyndemann landing. 44 21 

" " to foot of Lake Lyndemann. . 48.41 

" to head of Lake i^ennett 4U0L 

" " to boundary between B. C. & 

N. W. Territory ( Lat. 60°) 59.00 

Haines' Mis. to foot of Lake Bennett 75.21 

" " to foot of Caribou Crossing. . . 77.86. 

" tofootofTakou(Tagish) Lake 94.91 

" to Tagish houses 99.25 

" to head of marsh (Mud Lake) 99.93 

" to foot of Lake Marsh Il9 93, 

*• " to head of Canon 145.48 

" to foot of Canon 146.10 

'* to headof White Horse Rapid. 147.85 
" to foot of White Horse Rapid. 148.25 

" ** to Takheena River 162.75 

" to head of Lake Lebarge 176. 12 

" to foot of Lake Lebarge 207.80- 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 21 5 

Haines' Mis to Hootolinqua (Newberry of 
•Sch watka) 240 00 

Haines' Mis. to Cassiar Bar 267.44 

" to Little Salmon River 310.84 

" to Kinii liapicl (Five Fingers)37l.l3 
" to Pelley River 430.50 

Pelley River to Stewart River 120 00 

Stewart River to Forty Mile Creek 120.00 

From the Juneau Mining- Record, December 5, 1SS9. 
HKLPING METLAKAIITLA. 

The Boston Post is assisting the Rev. Drs. 
Phillips Brooks and Reuen Thomas and Senator 
Hoar in their endeavors to raise $25,000 by pub- 
lic subscription, to aid Mr. William Duncan in 
his work among the Metlakahtla Indians in 
Alaska, and to rebuild their sawmill and other 
buildings that were destroyed by fire last spring. 
The sum already received amounts to several 
thousand dollars. 

We find the following in the Post: "Some of 
our readers may not have seen the recently pub- 
lished letters of the Rev. Drs. Phillips Brooks 
and Reuen Thomas and Senator Hoar heartily 
commending the great work of Mr. William 
Duncan, begun by him among the Indians of 
the Northwest Coast thirty-two years ago. Sav- 
ages of the fiercest type, revolting in their relig- 
ious ceremonies, cruel to their captives and very 
superstitious, were gradually won over to ways of 
peace, industry and perfect sobriety. The result 
was a community of families, self-supporting 
and self ffoverning. But persecution and rob- 
bery made war or emigration their only choice. 
Delegations, petitions, weary traveling, long 
journeys and great expense on the part of Mr. 



2l6 THIRTE^iN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

Duncan and liis people ended always in disap- 
pointment. Finally, in 1887, they turned their 
backs upon their old homes, leaving behind 
nearly all their work of twenty-five years — 
houses, school, church, shops, mills and much 
personal property — and established themselves 
in Alaska. Here in the midst of a forest they 
are slowly building- new homes, schools and a 
church. The sawmill and other machinery 
must do the first work. The people are cheerful 
toilers and of good courage, but they are in 
need of many handy appliances and work at 
great disadvantage. Friends of our own Indi- 
ans welcome these new comers. For more than 
twenty years their influence over the Indians of 
Alaska has made travel safer in that territory; 
and when their town is built the people of ^let- 
lakahtla, in their modest homes, with schools, 
church, guest-house, mill and shops, will fur- 
nish the best object lesson there can be placed 
before the uncivilized native Indians. The sum 
of §25,000 could be most wisely used in helping 
them to do a far better work for themselves 
and for the thousands they must lead out of 
barbarism into civilization than they can do un- 
aided, Winter is near at hand and a great deal 
of money is needed for all kinds of supplies and 
materials." 

George Chopat, of the Alaska News Company 
respectfully notifies the Juneau and Douglas 
<;ity public that he is, by every steamer, receiv- 
ing new lots of books and all the latest news- 
papers, pictorials and magazines; all for sale at 
eastern prices. The catalogue of his Circulating 
Library is now ready for free distribution, con- 
taining over five hundred books, to which 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 21 7 

thousands are being rapidly added bj^ the ar-- 
rival of each steamer. The low price of one dol- 
lar a month he hopes will induce all to take 
advantage of this beneficial and instructive en- 
terprise. This one dollar per month entitles each 
subscriber to take home as many books as he or 
she can read during the month, always returning 
the one had. Open until 10 o'clock p. m. 

SALMON PACK OF THE WESTAVARD. 

In the early part of the season the run was 

very light, but as the season advanced the run 

improved and the result has been that more fish 

have been packed than ever before. Xotwilh- 

standing this the year has been a profitless one 

to many. A number of new canneries were 

started this year and considerable money has 

been lost Some of the old companies are among 

the sufferers, while some new companies have 

thriven — notably the Arctic Packing Company, 

and the Alaska Improvement Company. The 

Hume Company is in the lead, although it has 

fallen somewhat short in comparison with other 

years. The entire p;ick of the westward for the 

season is as follows: 

Cases. 

Kodiak Company 42,509 

Karluk Company 02,914 

Pacific Steam Whaling Company 14,830 

Western Alaska Company 4.685 

Alaska Improvement Company 18,970 

Alutian Island Fishing & Mining Co 10,400 

I>. L. Beck & Sons, representing the Alaska 

Company, Chiguak Bay Company, and 

Pyramid Company 52,018 

Arctic Company 76,401 

Thin Point Company 2,501 



2l8 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

Scotchler & Gibbs, representing the Cen- 
tral Alaska Company and the Peninsu- 
lar Trading and Fur Company 33,305 

Bradley & Company 5,035 

Hume Company 34,000 

Nushayak Company 27,764 

Northern Company 18,711 

Pacific Company 5,013 

Arctic Fishing Company 31,000 

Shumagin Company 6,158 

Russian- American Company 22,561 

Royal Company 14,412 

Bristol Bay Canning Company 11,100 

Golden Gate Salmon Company 3,300 

N. P. Trading Company *. 11,370 

Bo wen, Col well & Company (barrels) 375 

Alaska Commercial Company 108 



From the Alaska Free Press, December 2S, 18S9, 

Ka-ah-chin, a noted Indian living at the lower 
Auk village, gave a graad potlatch and dance at 
hisresldenceduring Christmas. This little amuse- 
ment cost him S 1,000, which amount he distrib- 
uted in the way of Christmas presents among 
his people. Ka-ah-chin, through his great liber- 
ality, has now become a great chief. 

Through special invitation, Messrs. John Bern- 
hardt, AdoJph Mezgar, William Yenabor, of the 
renowned firm of Luhrig, Dresden. Saxony, and 
Oscar Billharz, all of the Bear's Nest Mine on 
Douglas Island, attended the Christmas tree and 
entertainment given by the ladies of Juneau at 
the opera house on Christmas Eve. These gen- 
tlemen expressed much surprise at finding so 
many cultured people and so much of civiliza- 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 219 

tion in this remote corner of the globe, where 
they had thought to find only a mining camp on 
the frontier. 

In the United States District Court in and for 
the District of Alaska: Be it remembered that 
by the authority in me vested by Section 3 of 
the Organic Act of May 17, 1884. an act provid- 
ing a civil government for Alaska, 1, John S. 
Bugbee, United States District Judge in and for 
the district of Alaska, deem it expedient and 
necessary, and do authorize and direct that a 
special session of the United States District 
Court for the District of Alaska be convened for 
the dispatch of the business of the said court at 
10 a. m., the eighth day of Januaiy, 1890, at the 
court room in the town of Juneau in said dis- 
trict. JOHN S. BUGBEE. 

Sitka, Alaska, December 7, 1889. 

Our enterprising proprietor of the Juneau City 
hotel, J. J. McGrath, is going below on the El- 
der for the purpose of making arrangements to 
build a large hotel in Juneau. He expects to 
build on the corner of Seward and Front streets 
or Seward and Second street. Mac is a rustler, 
and when he starts an enterprise he makes it 
win. 



From the Alaska Free Press, November 14, iS.'p. 
ALASKA. 

Concerning which it may be mentioned that 
commencing in 1880, when it first found a place 
on the catalogue of our annual bullion returns, 
having been credited that year with a jield of 
$6,CC0, it has since steadily increased its bullion 
output, which amounted last year to something 



220 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

over $1,CCO,000, a large gain on the product of 
the year before. The entire yield of Alaska 
amounts to about 83,000,000, all gold. That the 
bullion product will go on increasing at an even 
more rapid rate than it has heretofore done, ad- 
mits of no doubt; though it should not be for- 
gotten that the exploration and opening up of 
the mineral districts in the interior of Alaska 
must ever Ije attended with great difficulties and 
heavy expense. Along and near the coast, and 
on the islands, mining operations can be prose- 
cuted at smaller cost and with infinitely less 
trouble. 

[ The amount estimated above is correct ac- 
cording to official reports, but the production of 
Alaska is far greater. A large portion of our 
gold finds a market in British Columbia and 
elsewhere, and no record can possibly be ob- 
tained, and it is safe to estimate the amount 
about doubles that indicated. — Ed. Mining 

llECOllD. 1 

STILL TALKING ABOUT THIS COUNTKY. 

W. M. Olin, who was with the senatorial 
party here in August, says: 'The Alasi<a In- 
dians have substantial log houses where they 
live in winter. As soon as the salmon begin to 
run in the spring, they leave for the fishing 
grounds, the inlets and rivers, and lish for sal- 
mon for themselves and the canneries. There 
we found them. They are a hard-working peo- 
ple, the men fishing and hunting and the women 
making baskets. The older men cannot speak 
English but the younger generation is beginning 
to do so. One of the committee asked one of the 
spokesmen at Port Chester what the village 
would do if the government would give them 
S20.()0(). ' We don't want the government to 



THIRTKEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 2 21 

give us one cent,' was the reply. *If it would 
lend us enough to build a sawmill and a can- 
nery we would pay a good interest on it, but we 
don't ask for anything.' The Indians down at 
this end of the possessions are called Thlinkets, 
and we spent nearly all of our time with them. 
Further north are the Aleuts, who are said to 
be warlike, and beyond them are the Esquimaux. 
AVe went up as far as Chilcat and the Chilcat In- 
let, where there are bands of Indians of the 
same name. The Chilcat is furthest north, and 
up the inlet and the stream flowing into it is a 
pass over into the Yukon country. The Chilcat 
Indians have village right on the pass, and they 
impose a tax on white men going across, in the 
shape of packing fees. They refuse to allow 
the whites to pack their own baggage, nor will 
they allow them to hire other Indians to do it 
for them. They insist upon their monopoly. 
The Indians we saw were mostly dirty and filthy 
in their habits. For instance, their favorite food 
is obtained by burying the head and entrals of a 
salmon in the earth until it is actually decom- 
posed, and then digging it up and eating it with 
seal oil." 

Andy Anderson, superintendent and part 
owner of the Silver Queen on She^^p Creek, 
spent Christmas in Juneau. He informs us 
that work in driving the lower cross-cut is still 
progressing. They have excavated into the 
side of the mountain and erected warm and 
comfortable quarters therein, out of danger 
from snowslides, and are now living there 
nearer the mine. 

Mr. S. B. Eobbins informs us that as soon as 
ispring opens himself and partners will commence 



222 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

development work on their bonanza nt Sum Dum 
Bay. This is a claim discovered by them last 
summer, which upon first discovery was thought 
to be very valuable, but upon coming to town 
and getting the ore tested, proved to be very 
rich, the ore assaying several hundred dollars 
per ton. Immediately upon receiving the re- 
'\uYns they returned to the place, secured their 
ground, and aho located an extension each way. 
together with millsights and water rights. They 
now have the best of the ground covered with 
valid locations, and intend next summer to de- 
velop the same as far as their means will allow. 

Al Noyes is still pushing work on the Gla3ier 
mine on Sheep Creek. The vein continues t) 
hold out good and strong and is yielding some 
very rich silver ore. 

Messrs. Willoughby & Ware, with several In- 
dian laborers, are still hard at work getting 
things in shape on their Admiralty Island prop- 
erty for the erection of a quartz mill next spring 

Juneau's enterprising postmaster is adding 
sixteen new lock boxes to the postofiice, making 
sixty-nine in all, and he says they will all be 
taken by January 1. Our city can boast of hav- 
ing the best regulated postoflice in Alaska and 
the most accommodating postmaster. 



From the Mining Record, September 12, 1SS9. 

WINTER WOKK ON THE YUKON. 

There arrived in Juneau on the Elder Mr. 
Frank Carter, a miner and prospector who has 
been in the Yukon country two years, having 
gone in during the spring of J 887, and started 



THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 223 

out by the way of St. Michaels last May and 
went to San Francisco, thence to Juneau. He 
reports that one hundred and twenty men win- 
tered at the mouth of Forty Mile and thirty- 
one on Stewart River. During the winter a 
large number of miners put in the time by tak- 
ing the frozen gravel out and putting it on the 
banks of the stream and washing it in the spring 
when it thawed. All who put in their time in 
this way made more or less, while some made as 
high as S:^.00O. A company of Frenchmen who 
thawed gravel cleaned up in the spring 100 
ounces to the man. 



Selections from Alaska Free Press of Nov. 9, 1S89. 

Governor Knapp has issued his proclamation 
setting aeide Thursday, the 28th day of Novem- 
ber, as a day of Thanksgiving. 

THE CITY OF TOPEKA. 

The new boat, the City of Topeka, which the 
Pacific Coast Stean ship Company has secured 
to take the place of the Corona on the Alaska 
route, will sail for Alaska on the Corona's 
scheduled sailing day. She will net carry any 
passengers north this trip. 

The City of Topeka was built at Chester, Pa., 
in 1884, and is consequently still a new boat. 
She is of iron, and is 198 feet long, has a width 
of beam of 35.2 feet and a depth of hold of 12 
feet. Her gross tonnage is 1,057.29, and her net 
tonnage 746.63. From this it will be seen that 
the City of Topeka is much smaller than the 
Corona. 

She has sleeping accommodations for seventy- 
five persons; but for her size, her freight carrying 
capacity is good. She has good power, and is 



1224 THIRTEEN YEARS IN ALASKA. 

the fastest boat of her size on the coast. She 
was built originally for Boston parties, but 
three years ago was purchased by the Atchison, 
Topeka & Santa Fe Ilailroad Company and 
brought to the coast. Since then she has done 
but little. The company intend fitting her up 
before she is brought here. 

Dick Willoughby came in from Admiralty Is- 
land on Thursday last. He informs us that 
himself and Ware will immediately make ar- 
rangements for the erection of a sawmill on 
their property next spring. So far, development 
work shows enough ore in sight to more than 
pay all expense of constructing such plant, to- 
gether with ditches, etc., and they are fully war- 
ranted in going ahead in this enterprise. Dick 
Johnson, an experienced mill man, will have 
charge of the construction of this mill. 

In a few days active development work will 
be commenced on the Sheridan lode, situated at 
the head of Sheep Creek basin, which property 
is now under bond to A. P. Swineford. This 
vein sliows strong for nearly 2,000 feet, and car- 
ries gray copper and brittle silver ore from the 
grass root^. 



FRANKLIN HOTEL, 

Established in 1881, 

OLDS & ORTON, Proprietors, 

Successors to AVheelock & Flannery. 

First class accoinmodations, charges moderate. The 
tables always svipplied with the best the market affords. 
Fresh Bread, Cakes and Pies for sale. 
Parties furnishing their own blankets will receive 
board and lodging lor $7 per week. 

WATEll FRONT, JUNEAU, ALASKA. 



